The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), with currently 196 contracting parties, is the most comprehensive binding international agreement in the field of nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

Like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened for signing at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Germany has been a party to the CBD since it entered into force on 29 December 1993. Within the German Government, lead responsibility for the Convention on Biological Diversity lies with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection ( BMUV).

The Convention has three overarching objectives:

The conservation of biological diversity (genetic diversity, species diversity and habitat diversity).
The sustainable use of biological diversity.
The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest political decision-making body of the Convention. The last meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) was held in in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada. In the interval between COPs, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice ( SBSTTA), the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) and other working groups and expert panels meet to discuss various thematic and work programmes of the CBD. The CBD subsidiary bodies each develop recommendations for decisions by the meetings of the COP.

Protocols of the Convention on Biological Diversity

To support implementation of the CBD objectives, two internationally binding agreements were adopted within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The Cartagena Protocol, which was adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003, regulates the transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs). The Nagoya Protocol was adopted in 2010 in Japan and entered into force in 2014. It establishes a legally binding framework for access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use.

Past CBD Conferences

COP 15 2022 about
COP 15 took place in Montreal, Canada in December 2022 under Chinese Presidency. It focussed on "Ecological Civilization – Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth"
COP 14 2018 about
The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) was held in Egypt in November 2018 and focussed on "Investing in biodiversity for people and planet".
COP 13 2016 about
The 13th meeting of the COP took place in Cancun, Mexico. Its goal was to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020.
COP 12 2014 about
COP 12 in Pyeongchang, South Korea examined progress to date on implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
COP 11 2012 about
The main topic in Hyderbad, India was the mobilisation of resources for implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
COP 10 2010 about
In Nagoya, Japan, the international community set in motion the long-needed trend reversal in biodiversity loss.
COP 9 2008 about
The conference in Bonn generated global momentum for nature conservation.
Earlier CBD conferences about
The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed on 5 June 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.