2008 | 2008-08-15 |  en es fr
 en es fr
| COP 9 Presidency pays Working Visit to the UNCBD Secretariat
Montreal, 15 August 2008 – Mr. Jochen Flasbarth, Director General, Federal Ministry for the Environment, representing Mr. Sigmar Gabriel, Federal Minister of the Environment, Germany, and the President of COP 9, paid a two-day visit to the headquarters of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to discuss the implementation of the Bonn decisions and the Nagoya road map as well as the preparation of the first meeting of the Bureau of COP 9 to be held in Barcelona, Spain, on 4-5 October 2008 at the margins of the IUCN World Conservation Congress. Mr. Jochen was accompanied during his visit, on 12-13 august 2008, by Ms. Nicola Breier, the UNCBD focal point. |
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| 2008-08-01 | en es fr
en es fr
| State of Parana delivers on its Commitment to offset Carbon Emissions of the Operations of the CBD Secretariat
Montreal, 1 August 2008. Less than two months after signing, at COP 9 on May 27, 2008, in Bonn, Germany, a memorandum of cooperation to offset all carbon emissions arising out of the CBD Secretariat’s operations between COP 9 and 10, including the travel of funded Party representatives to attend official CBD meetings (estimated at around 10,200 tons of carbon equivalent), the State Government of Parana in Brazil delivers on its commitments.
(See also the Communiqué in Portugese) |
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| 2008-07-16 | en es fr
en es fr
| Innovative Green Wave/Airbus Partnership takes Flight
Montreal, 16 July 2008 – With the aim of raising public awareness on the importance of biodiversity and to engage young people in the global biodiversity agenda, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK in support of Green Wave, a multi-year worldwide educational campaign for children and youth leading up to the International Year of Biodiversity in 2010. To coincide with the announcement of the MoU, the official Green Wave logo was also launched. |
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| 2008-07-11 | en
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| European Community Members and Their Overseas Entities meet to counter Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss
Montreal, 11 July 2008. More than 450 participants representing 43 countries attended the first-ever international conference “The European Union and its Overseas Entities: Strategies to Counter Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss”, which was held from 7 to 11 July 2008 at Saint Denis on Reunion Island. |
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| 2008-07-09 | en es fr
en es fr
| G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit — A Historic Contribution to Biodiversity
Montreal, 9 July 2008. On 9 July 2008, leaders of the G8 committed themselves to a ground-breaking plan for action to stem the loss of biodiversity. In the Declaration of the G8 2008 Hokkaido Toyako Summit that concluded today in Japan. |
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| 2008-06-30 | en es fr
en es fr
| Towards a Strategic Partnership with Civil Aviation for Protecting Life on Earth
Montreal 30 June 2008. Air transport is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Last year, 2.2 billion passengers and 35 per cent of exports of goods were transported by airplanes. The industry has an economic impact equivalent to 8 per cent of global gross domestic product and generates 32 million jobs worldwide. It is estimated that 40 per cent of international tourists travel by air. Air passenger traffic is expected to grow at an average rate of 5 per cent per year over the next 20 years. Over the next five years, the annual number of passengers within Asia and Pacific will increase to 279 million. In the Middle East, a threefold increase in passenger numbers is expected in the next 20 years. Engaging the aviation industry as a partner for achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity is essential. The preparations for the International Year of Biodiversity, to be celebrated in 2010, offers a unique opportunity to engage the civil-aviation sector as a partner in the global biodiversity campaign focusing on children and youth of today and the educated citizens of tomorrow. |
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| 2008-06-25 | en es
en es
| Engaging Cities of the World in the Battle for Life on Earth
Montreal 25 June 2008. The growth of the urban world represents one of the most dramatic changes experienced by humanity in recent history. For the first time in history, the world’s urban population is now greater than that of rural areas, having reached 3.2 billion people. It has increased nearly fourfold since 1950. Every year, more than 50 million people, the equivalent of the populations of Spain and Portugal combined, are added to the population of the world’s cities. It is predicted that, in 2030, four out of five of the world’s urban dwellers will live in developing countries. Cities occupy 2 per cent of the planet’s surface, but their residents use 75 per cent of the Earth’s natural resources. |
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| 2008-06-21 | en es fr
| Strategic Partnership with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to protect 20 per cent of the Biodiversity of Planet Earth
Montreal 21 June 2008. Despite occupying only three per cent of the Earth’s surface, the ten member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) host 20 per cent of the all known species. South-East Asia has one third of all coral reefs in the world. Forty-five per cent of the region is covered by forests. However, up to three fourths of the forest cover and up to 42 per cent of the biodiversity of the region may be lost by 2100. |
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| 2008-06-17 | en
| Japan launches the preparation of the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit to be held in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya city in October 2010
17 June 2008, Montreal – Just two weeks after the 191 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) took the decision in Bonn to convene the next United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, in Japan, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya city in 2010, Japan has launched a national campaign for the preparation of the conference that will be a major event in the life of the Convention. |
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| 2008-06-16 | en
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| Investing in the Future – Business for Biodiversity and Sustainability
Montreal, 16 June 2008 – The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held consultations with the business community on 11 and 12 June 2008 in Montreal and San Francisco to discuss the involvement of businesses in implementing the Convention. |
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| 2008-06-06 | en es fr
en es fr
| Biodiversity: A Missing Link for Mitigating Climate Change - World Environment Day celebrated in Montreal
Montreal: 6 June 2008 –World Environment Day was celebrated in Montreal yesterday by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Montreal diplomatic community by the hoisting for the first time of the United Nations flag at the entrance to the Montreal World Trade Centre, which has been host to the Convention Secretariat since January 1996. Also participating in the event was the President of the Group of 77 and China at the United Nations in New York. The theme of this year’s Day is “Climate change: kicking the CO2 habit”. |
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| 2008-05-30 | en es fr
en es fr
| A new Universal Global Alliance for Biodiversity Protection established in Bonn
Bonn, 30 May 2008 –Representatives of 191 Parties and over 100 ministers have produced significant new measures to increase the network of protected areas and to negotiate an international set of rules on access to and sharing of the benefits of the rich genetic resources of the world. In so doing, they made a major contribution to the achievement of the 2010 biodiversity target. |
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| 2008-05-28 | en fr
en fr
| Parliamentarians issue Declaration in Support of Biodiversity Action at Bonn Conference
Bonn, 28 May—Calling the present level of biodiversity loss “unprecedented”, parliamentarians attending the Bonn Biodiversity Conference issued a declaration yesterday expressing renewed resolve to ensure that they take the necessary legislative and administrative actions to implement programmes to achieve the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. |
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| 2008-05-28 | en fr
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| World Leaders redouble their Commitment to fulfil the Commitment of Heads of State and Government to substantially reduce the Rate of Loss of Biodiversity by 2010
Bonn 28 May 2008 – For the first time in the history of multilateral cooperation for the environment, world leaders reiterated their commitment to substantially reduce the loss of biodiversity within two years. Representatives of 191 Parties and more than 100 Ministers met at the ministerial segment of the World Biodiversity Summit in Bonn. |
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| 2008-05-28 | en
| 3 Heads of State, 87 Ministers to Open Biodiversity High Level Conference
Bonn, 27 May—The leaders of Germany, Canada and Palau, together with 87 ministers, will open high-level talks aimed at promoting the protection of the world’s biodiversity at the World
Conference Center in Bonn tomorrow morning, 28 May, and continue at the Maritim Hotel through Friday, 30 May. |
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| 2008-05-27 | en
| Biodiversity Convention Secretariat Signs Historic Agreement with Brazilian State of Paraná to Offset Emissions
Bonn, 27 May — To meet its pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and work toward carbon neutrality, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity entered into a partnership today with the Brazilian State of Paraná to replant native trees and contribute to the regeneration of the Atlantic rainforest. |
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| 2008-05-26 | en
| Urban Biodiversity and the Role of Cities in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use discussed at Bonn Biodiversity Conference
Bonn, 26 May—With more than half of the world’s people now living in cities, 191 countries are, for the first time, discussing ways to promote biodiversity in an urban setting at the
Biodiversity Conference taking place in Bonn, Germany. The countries are joined by the mayors of the world, who will commit to take action to contribute to reducing the rate of loss of
biodiversity. |
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| 2008-05-26 | en
| Biodiversity added to the agenda of Hokkaido Toyako G8 Summit
Bonn - 26 May 2008 — G8 environment ministers at the Kobe meeting adopted, for the first time a call for action for biodiversity elevating biodiversity to a key item on the agenda of the upcoming Hokkaido Toyako Summit. Since the establishment of the G8 summit in 1975 in Rambouillet, France biodiversity has never had such a prominent place on the agenda of the meeting of the 8 world leaders. |
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| 2008-05-22 | en
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| The “Green Wave” launched at the UN Bonn Biodiversity Summit
Bonn - 22 May 2008— A global initiative under the motto “One school, one tree, one gift for Nature “ aimed at empowering youth to take charge of their future was launched today in Bonn at the 9th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity, on the occasion of the International Day on Biological Diversity. |
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| 2008-05-22 | en
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| UN Biodiversity Convention Secretariat teams up with Europe’s Bern Convention to stop the lost of biodiversity in Europe
Bonn - 22 May 2008—To support efforts to meet the 2010 global goal to reverse and stop the loss of biodiversity, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity today signed a strategic partnership with the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, known as the Bern Convention. |
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| 2008-05-22 | en
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| Germany and the United Nations Biodiversity Secretariat announce a “Green COP”
Bonn, 22 May— On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity, Mr. Sigmar Gabriel, Minister of Environment of Germany and President of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, announced the measures taken to ensure that the meeting will have the smallest possible environmental impact. |
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| 2008-05-22 | en es fr
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| Biodiversity needed to feed the world, the International Day for Biological Diversity 22 May 2008
Bonn, 22 May 2008—Against a background of rising food prices, and with pressures from climate change affecting fields and orchards, celebrations of the International Day of Biological Diversity (IBD) will stress the need to properly protect and manage the world’s biodiversity in order to ensure a secure supply of food for a growing world population. |
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| 2008-05-19 | en
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| Governments open meeting in Bonn to take action on declining biodiversity resources
Bonn, 19 May 2008 –Nearly 7,000 participants from 191 countries opened the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in Bonn, Germany, today to take takes steps to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s biodiversity in light of the alarming rate of loss of species, compounded by the pressures from climate change. |
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| 2008-05-16 | en
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| Agreement reached to work towards a legally binding instrument on Liability and Redress with regard to GMOs
Bonn, 16 May 2008 - After four years of intensive negotiation, the 2,000 participants attending the Bonn Biosafety Meeting, the largest ever gathering on biosafety, agreed to work towards legally binding rules and procedures for liability and redress for potential damage caused from the transboundary movements of living modified organisms (LMOs), commonly referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). |
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| 2008-05-12 | en
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| Largest international gathering on Biosafety meets in Bonn to finalize arrangements for the Cartagena Protocol
Bonn, May 12 2008- Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety opened their fourth meeting today at the Maritim Hotel in Bonn, in Germany. More than 3000 delegates from 147 countries assembled to fulfill their commitment to ensuring the safe use of modern biotechnology, including reaching an agreement on international rules on liability and redress for potential damages caused by LMOs. Their discussions will continue until 16 May 2008. |
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