In collaboration with over 200 partners in the Biodiversity Law and Governance Initiative, we thank the Presidency of COP15, our generous Chinese, Canadian and Quebec hosts, the distinguished delegates, observers and also the CBD Secretariat for the opportunity to share the outcomes and findings of the 2022 COP15 Biodiversity Law and Governance Day.
During CBD COP15, on the world’s Human Rights Day, the 10th of December 2022, Parties and Observers to the CBD and other biodiversity accords convened nearly 400 jurists, negotiators, law and policy makers, practitioners, indigenous and local leaders, stakeholders and scholars, to scale up law, policy and practice contributions to implementing the CBD regime and the coming Global Biodiversity Framework, advancing our world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through legal and institutional measures.
The 2022 Biodiversity Law & Governance Day was the third global symposium of its kind, building on the success of CoP14’s BLGD in Sharm El-Sheikh, and COP13’s BLGD in Cancun. It was a rich and substantive exchange, focused on dialogue, engagement and action.
Together, we are building a global biodiversity law and governance community of practice to support the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, backed by the CBD, its Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, in full alignment and integrated with the other Rio Conventions, the global Human Rights Framework, and the global SDGs.
The community was especially honoured to announce the inaugural recipients of the Biodiversity Law and Governance Global Leadership Awards:
Mr Basile van Havre is recognized for decades of dedication to biodiversity conservation, especially for his critical contributions to the architecture of the global biodiversity conservation framework, in recent years of unfailing service as co-chair for the CBD Open-Ended Working Group.
Adv Viviana Elsa Figueroa is recognized as a leader for Indigenous women and youth working for biodiversity, especially for her passion and leadership within the Indigenous Women Network on Biodiversity for Latin America and the Caribbean.
· Adv Maria del Pilar Vanegas Guzman is recognized for her commitment to conflict resolution, human rights and humanitarian work, notably in her service to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and her contributions as President of the International Law Association in one of the world’s most mega-diverse countries, Colombia.
Dr Amy Fraenkel is recognized for over 30 years of dedicated and inspiring commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use through international law, in the CBD, in the United Nations Environment Programme, in the United States government, and currently as Executive Secretary for the Convention on Migratory Species.
All Parties, Observers and stakeholders are very welcome to join this Initiative, as sponsors, partners, thematic leaders or participants. Senior representatives and experts from CBD Parties have formed a Programme Committee to guide the growing Initiative. We would especially welcome all interested governments and stakeholders to contact us, in order to help shape the next BLGD at COP16 in 2024, and ideally, to serve distinguished judges for the 2024 biodiversity law and governance global leadership awards, and an inaugural biodiversity law and policy student essay competition in 2024.
In conclusion, we are very grateful to the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) for co-hosting the event, together with partners from McGill University, University of Montreal, University of Quebec a Montreal, University of Costa Rica, University of Cambridge, University of Kisangani and others, with thanks for the guidance of leaders in the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat (SCBD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Commission for Environmental Law (IUCN-WCEL), International Development Law Organization (IDLO), International Law Association (ILA), Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and other partners organizations
