|
|
|
|
  |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Monitoring The UN > The UN and Sustainable Development United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
June 1992: The CBD opens for signature at UNCED in Rio de Janeiro. Canada is a signatory party. In May 1992, after 4 years of negotiations, an agreement on the Convention on Biological Diversity was reached. The CBD was opened for signature in June 1992 at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Convention came into force a year and a half later, on 29 December 1993. In 1999, 176 countries were party to the convention. Concerns over biodiversity were first acknowledged by the international community at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm. Under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an Ad Hoc Working Group of Experts on Biological Diversity (later know as the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) was formed in November 1988 to explore the need for an international convention on biological diversity. The CBD has been perceived as a potentially very progressive Multilateral Environmental Convention (MEC) because it addresses the threats to global biological diversity from both a conservation and a sustainable use perspective. Conservation and development concerns are acknowledged in the CBD as legitimate and interdependent within the larger framework of sustainable development.
The Convention addresses biodiversity from the genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity standpoints. The three principal objectives of the CBD are: “the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources”. The Convention recognizes the traditional dependence of Indigenous communities on biological resources and the desirability of sharing equitably benefits collected from traditional knowledge. The Convention also recognizes the vital role women have played and will need to play for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources. Further, the CBD recognizes the necessity for cooperation at all levels and the need for special provisions to support the efforts of developing countries to meet the commitments of the Convention. It is understood by the signatory Parties that the first priority for developing countries must be poverty alleviation and economic and social development. Clearing House Mechanism The implementation of the CBD is orchestrated through the joint efforts of the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) and the Secretariat to the Convention based in Montreal. The CHM facilitates the implementation of the Convention as well as the access and exchange of information on biodiversity around the world. Following a decentralized and needs driven approach, the CHM consist of a network of national, regional or sub-regional focal points that are themselves rooted within existing government ministries. Since the launch of the CHM, some 137 National Focal Points are now functional around the world. The Biodiversity Convention Office is the focal point in Canada and is housed within Environment Canada. Cartagena protocol on biosafety “The Parties shall consider the need for and modalities of a protocol setting out appropriate procedures, including, in particular, advance informed agreement, in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of any living modified organism resulting from biotechnology that may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.” Article 19.3 Convention on Biological Diversity After almost five years of negotiation, agreement on the Biosafety Protocol was reached in Montreal on 28 January 2000 between the 130 participating countries. The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety met in a series of formal and informal meetings between July 1996 and January 2000. The protocol was opened for signature from 15-26 May in Nairobi at the Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 5). The protocol will come into force after 50 countries have ratified it. As stated in Article 1, the objective of the protocol is “…to contribute to ensuring an adequate level of protection in the fields of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health, and specifically focusing on transboundary movements.” The Biosafety Protocol is an historical agreement. It is the first time that genetically engineered organisms (GMOs) are recognized internationally to have potential effects on the environment, biodiversity and human health. Through this protocol, an international legal framework is established to guide and give force to national policies aimed at protecting the environment, biodiversity and human health, themselves increasingly weakened by global trade agreements which have precedence over them. The precautionary principle was operationalized in the protocol after much resistance from the Miami Group, composed of the six major agricultural exporters (Canada, USA, Australia, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay). It had strong support from the Like Minded Group (most developing countries), and the European Union. Key features of the Biosafety Protocol include requirements for:
The Convention on Biological Diversity has been embraced in Canada by the federal, provincial, territorial and local governments. Other stakeholder groups and community organizations have also incorporated the objectives of the CBD into their initiatives, making this international Convention embedded in Canada’s approach to sustainable development. Canada played a key role in the process leading up to the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Canada was the first industrialized country to ratify the convention on 4 December 1992. Our commitment to and speedy ratification of the Convention motivated other countries to sign on despite the United States’ decision not to ratify the Convention during the Bush administration. In response to one of the key obligations of the signatory Parties to the CBD, Canada initiated in 1993 the process to elaborate a Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. The objective was to determine how Canada was going to meet the obligations of the Convention and facilitate the coordination of national efforts in that direction. Reflecting the shared constitutional and legislative responsibilities for biological resources within the terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments among the federal, provincial and territorial governments, an Intergovernmental Biodiversity Working Group was established with the responsibility to elaborate a Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. Civil Society’s participation in the process was granted through the creation of a national non-governmental biodiversity Advisory Group. In addition, ten expert focus groups were established to advise the work of the Intergovernmental Working Group. The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy “A society that lives and develops as a part of nature, values the diversity of life, takes no more than can be replenished and leaves to future generations a nurturing and dynamic world, rich in its biodiversity.” Canada’s Vision as set out in the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy “Canada is one of the largest countries on the planet, with approximately 13 million square kilometers of land and water. Canadians are stewards of almost 20 percent of the planet's wilderness, 24 percent of its wetlands, 20 percent of its freshwater, and 10 percent of its forests; as well as 244,000 kilometers of coastline and a large arctic ecosystem that covers nearly 1/4 of the country's landmass. Some of Canada's ecological features contribute to global ecological processes. For example, forests, wetlands and peat bogs serve as sinks for greenhouse gases while the arctic region acts as a global heat sink by cooling the air and absorbing the heat transported north from the tropics”. Source: Canadian Biodiversity Strategy, 1995 The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy is a Framework for action. Its guiding principles, strategic goals and directions in all areas of concerns, ranging from protected areas, agriculture, forestry and atmosphere, aim at providing a national direction for each ministry, province, local and indigenous communities to develop their own biodiversity strategy. The strategy offers an assessment of Canada’s initiatives since 1993 for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources, using the Convention as a benchmark. It looks to build on initiatives and enhance cooperation between governments starting from the existing policies, strategies and plans. Rather than offering explicit guidelines, it recognizes the need for more understanding of the links between biodiversity and human activity and the actual state of Canada’sbiodiversity. The strategy allows room for adjustment and evolution based on new information. Like the CBD, the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy emphasizes the importance of public participation and the contribution of expert stakeholder groups such as farmers and fishermen to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources. The strategy outlines five goals:
In 1998, Canada produced a report for the Third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) summarizing how the Convention's articles have been incorporated in our national legislation and policies. The report addresses some of the lessons learned and challenges faced in implementing Article 6 of the Convention calling for the development of national strategies and the integration of biodiversity into sectoral and cross-sectoral decision making. An Annex to the report offers an Inventory of Initiatives from federal, provincial and municipal governments, indigenous communities, industry, academia, conservation groups and citizen-based organizations. Canada and the Biosafety Protocol Canada was highly involved in the negotiations leading to the adoption of an agreement on Biosafety. As a member of the Miami Group, Canada's position was for an agreement on biosafety that would be compatible with the existing international framework (e.g., WTO) under which many countries already regulate the trade of products derived from modern biotechnology. Canada already produces varieties LMOs such as canola, corn, soybeans and potatoes that are approved through existing Canadian regulations. Exports of crops intended for food, feed and processing, as well as for LMOs intended for introduction into the environment, totalled over 3 billion in 1998. Canada's Biodiversity Convention Office website contains a substantive amount of information regarding Canada's preparation to the Biosafety negotiations, statements from Environment Minister Anderson and links to more information on Biosafety. UN related links
Canadian Links
|
