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Office of the Executive Secretary

The Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) is responsible for the overall management of the Secretariat, promoting coherence in its work and ensuring responsiveness to the needs of Parties. It is also responsible for ensuring substantive and timely support for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and the Biosafety Protocol as well as their subsidiary bodies, including their respective bureaux. The office also coordinates the representation of the Secretariat at external meetings and is the principal interface between the Secretariat and the Parties, relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations as well as major groups and inter-agency processes. The office is responsible for fund‑raising, recruitment and applying the financial and human resources of the Convention and the Protocol in a flexible manner to meet the evolving needs where appropriate.

Social, Economic and Legal Matters

The global threat to biodiversity is often rooted in misguided social and economic and legal measures and policies that encourage the overconsumption of biological resources, the degradatation of ecosystems, and the extinction of species. As a result, many vital ecosystem services -- ranging from floodwater protection and water purification to drought- or disease-resistant crops and traditional medicines -- are already declining. Thus, it is important to ensure that such measures provide positive incentives for conservation and sustainable use. The Social, Economic and Legal Affairs Division of the Secretariat (SEL) supports the work of Parties, stakeholders and partner organizations in finding solutions to these social, economic and legal challenges, which are key to the achievement of the objectives of the Convention, and in particular to:

  • Access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing: facilitate access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising out of their utilization in a fair and equitable manner (the third objective of the Convention), in particular facilitating the ongoing negotiations among Parties of an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing.
  • Traditional knowledge, innovations and practices: respect, preserve and maintain the traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities relevant for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and promote its wider application. Such knowledge can make an important contribution to understanding the complex interrelationships between biodiversity, environment and humans.
  • Sustainable use of biodiversity: use components of biodiversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biodiversty, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations (the second objective of the Convention).
  • Economics and incentive measures: undertake the economic valuation of biodiversity resources and functions, and design and implement measures that act as incentives for individuals and companies to conserve biodiversity and use it in a sustainable manner.
  • Sustainable tourism: ensure that tourism, the number one industry in many countries and the fastest-growing economic sector in terms of foreign exchange earnings and job creation, is developed in a environmentally sustainable manner.
  • International trade rules: work with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other partners in order to ensure that the Convention and international trade rules are implemented in a mutually supportive manner.
  • Liability and redress: work on the issue of liability and redress with regard to transboundary damage to biological diversity.

Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters

The Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters (STTM) Division of the Secretariat supports the work of Parties, stakeholders and partner organizations in improving scientific understanding on biodiversity and its conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits. The work of STTM relates to a number of thematic areas and cross-cutting issues.

Thematic areas:
  • Inland Waters Biodiversity
  • Marine and Coastal Biodiversity
  • Agricultural Biodiversity
  • Forest Biodiversity
  • Dry and Sub-humid Lands Biodiversity
  • Mountain Biodiversity
  • Island Biodiversity

Cross-cutting issues:
  • 2010 Biodiversity Target
  • Climate Change and Biological Diversity
  • Global Strategy for Plant Conservation
  • Invasive Alien Species
  • Impact Assessment
  • Ecosystem Approach
  • Identification, Monitoring, Indicators and Assessments
  • Global Taxonomy Initiative
  • Protected Areas

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to Convention relies on its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) for scientific and technical guidance. This committee of government-nominated experts from relevant fields also promotes international cooperation on biodiversity science, technical matters and technology. The STTM Division of the Secretariat provides support to the SBSTTA, by organizing meetings, preparing background documentation for those meetings, and coordinating the scientific work carried out under the Convention with that of other relevant institutions and conventions.

Biosafety

The Biosafety Division, within the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, services a distinct international regulatory instrument, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The Protocol provides an international regulatory framework to reconcile the primary objective of protecting biological diversity and human health from the possible risks posed by living modified organisms (LMOs) taking into consideration the potential benefits that may be derived from modern biotechnology. The Protocol is governed by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (COP-MOP). The Biosafety Division hosts the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH), as established under Article 20 of the Protocol. The BCH, being an information exchange mechanism, aims at assisting Parties in implementing the provisions of the Protocol and facilitates in the sharing of information on, and experience with LMOs.

Under the obligations of the Protocol and through the decisions of the COP-MOP, the work of the Division is structured as follows:

  • Capacity Building & Outreach including the Action Plan, Coordination Mechanism, Financial Mechanism, Public Awareness & Participation, Biosafety Protocol Website and the Roster of Experts
  • Policy and Legal Issues including Liability and Redress, Compliance, National Biosafety Frameworks and Decision Procedures
  • Socio-Economic Considerations & Trade Issues including Identification / Documentation, Socio-Economic Impacts and Trade Rules and the Protocol
  • Scientific Issues including Risk Assessment and Risk Management, Post-release Monitoring and Other scientific issues
  • BCH & Information Sharing including Central Portal maintenance, Focal Points, Other information resources and National Reports

Implementation and Technical Support

The Division for Implementation and Technical Support aims to support Parties to enhance implementation of the Convention, working in cooperation with other SCBD units and our partners. The Division leads the Secretariat’s work in support of:

  • National biodiversity strategies and action plans
  • National reporting
  • The Clearing House Mechanism (CHM)
  • Financial resources and the financial mechanism
  • Interagency and Programme Coordination

The Division provides tools, guidelines and training materials and seeks to mobilize support for implementation of the Convention by other international agencies, and the mainstreaming of biodiversity. The Division also coordinates the Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention.

The Division is also responsible for all communications and outreach activities of the Secretariat including:

  • Communication Education and Public Awareness
  • Major Groups

The Communication Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) initiative is one of the key global initiatives implemented by the Division. In Decision VI/19, the Conference of the Parties mandated the Executive Secretary to conduct specific activities in support of the global initiative on CEPA. Through this decision the Executive Secretary, in consultation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the IUCN Commission for Education and Communication, and other members of the Consultative Working Group of Experts established by decision V/17, as well as any relevant institutions, monitor and evaluate the implementation of CEPA; review the communication, education and public-awareness dimensions of existing and new cross-cutting issues and thematic areas, and specifically those priorities and action plans established in the Strategic Plan for the Convention; promote, in collaboration with the relevant agencies, the development and implementation of demonstration projects that can serve as models to initiate similar projects that can be adopted by Parties, seek the submission of relevant case-studies on biodiversity communication, education and public awareness from relevant sources; and develop and implement a corporate communication strategy for the Secretariat.

The Division is also responsible for the following major groups:

  • Business is referred to in the Convention text, in many COP decisions, and in the Convention’s Strategic Plan. At its Eighth Meeting (Curitiba, Brazil, 20-31 March 2006), the Conference of the Parties adopted the first decision focusing exclusively on business. Decision VIII/17 addresses business participation in Convention processes, the strengthening and dissemination of the ‘business case’ for biodiversity, and the compilation and development of good biodiversity practice.
  • Parliamentarians for increasing the visibility of biodiversity at national level. Parliamentarians are key players in the promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity at the national level and can ensure that adequate legislation is adopted in order for national governments to honour their obligations as Parties to the CBD.
  • Local Authorities for local action for biodiversity. Local authorities are in a preeminent position to raise public awareness regarding biodiversity-related issues and take measures that will directly affect the quality of the environment and the well-being of the population.
  • Civil Society
    • Non-governmental Organizations. (NGOs) play an essential role in the promotion of sustainable development, including the conservation and preservation of the world's vast biological diversity and the sustainable use of its many components.
    • Children & Youth. The Secretariat invites children and youth, the leaders of tomorrow, to take action for the protection of life on Earth.
    • Women. While both genders have strong links to biodiversity, women are more often the first and most affected by environmental problems.

Resource Management and Conference Services

The Resource Management and Conference Services (RMCS) department is responsible for management of financial and human resources, as well as servicing of meetings under the Convention and the Biosafety Protocol. In cooperation with the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), it provides fund management, personnel, general administrative and travel services.