Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

[ ] 25 Biological diversity is the foundation for our livelihoods and sustainable development. Since ancient times, humankind, living in harmony with nature, has benefited in a multitude of ways from biological resources. Biodiversity provides basic needs such as food, energy and medicine, other essential services, recreational and cultural benefits, and helps us in reducing the risks from climate change and natural disasters. However, the progress of human civilization followed by the advancement of technology, population growth, industrialization and urbanization has accelerated the decline and extinction of species as well as the degradation of ecosystems. The losses are due to a range of pressures driven by a range of socioeconomic drivers. Climate change and land degradation will act synergistically with other threats having serious consequences for biodiversity. Recognizing the danger of global biodiversity loss, the international community developed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in time for the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. It is now one of the world’s most important multilateral environmental agreements, together with the UNFCCC and UNCBD, acting as a key tool for sustainable development. In the twenty-five years since its entry into force, governments have elaborated a complete suite of policy tools for the protection of biodiversity. Egypt is not only a Party to the Convention, but also to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, all crucial instruments for supporting sustainable development processes. Egypt is honoured to mark this 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention especially with the contribution of Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba, Former Executive Director of UNEP to the birth of the three Rio Conventions. We are glad that this anniversary coincides with our hosting of the 2018 United Nations Biodiversity Conference comprising the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP-14), the 9th meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the 3rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, as well as the high level segment of these meetings in November 2018.