AU’s high-level biodiversity conference kicks off in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, May 30, 2023 (FBC) – High level conference of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific on bio diversity kicked off today at the African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa.

The African Union Commission through its Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE) organized the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific High Level Conference on the implementation of the Outcomes of the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nineteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

During the opening session, Harsen Nyambe, Director of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE), stated that the importance of biodiversity in tourism, medicine, industry and business is significant in Africa.

It is mentioned that illegal trade and the impact of climate change are challenges in the protection of biodiversity.

It is necessary to coordinate the implementation of the results and agreements of the COP15, it was emphasized.

Mentioning the Ethiopia’s exemplar achievement in Green Legacy Initiative, the Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Jean-Paul Adam, highlighted the actions that countries are taking to ensure sustainable biodiversity.

It is noted that the conference aims to review the outcomes of CITES CoP19, CBD CoP15 and Ocean Treaty and identify cross-cutting strategic issues, to identify priority actions that need follow-up from Member States in terms of potential gaps and problems in implementation, To identify support needed for effective implementation of the action plan, To develop an action plan that can support and drive the effective implementation of the key commitments and decisions made, and To ensure alignment, synergies and complementarity in financing, developing and implementing of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as the national instruments to implement the Global Biodiversity framework (GBF).

The conference brought together, among others, the Secretariats of CBD, CITES, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), TRAFFIC, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative, Convention on Migratory Species and the World Wildlife Fund.