12 October 2014: The Business and Biodiversity Forum, which convened on the sidelines of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12), included a high-level segment, a business and biodiversity workshop, a meeting of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity, and various other events. The Forum aimed to increase the understanding of how businesses can better engage with and implement biodiversity-related initiatives, as well as to encourage governments and other stakeholders to create enabling environments to facilitate such engagement.

The Forum, which met under the theme ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity: Innovative Opportunities for Business,’ looked at practical ways for businesses to engage in the objectives of the CBD and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The event was meant to tie in with the Government of the Republic of Korea’s ‘Creative Economy’ concept, which prioritizes the sensible use of natural resources for development gains, as well as ideas and technology that safeguard biodiversity.

More specifically, the Forum addressed, inter alia: biotrade; sustainable tourism; commodity indicators; status and update on the Global Partnership; reporting; capacity building; and how businesses can contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including through mainstreaming biodiversity into business practices.

Speaking at the event, CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, said the Global Partnership is a concrete signal by the global community that business has a crucial role to play in addressing environmental problems, including biodiversity loss, and that the Partnership and associated initiatives enable different countries, sectors and organizations to come together to share experiences and find common solutions. He also highlighted a corporate initiative pioneered by Puma that shows how companies can create opportunities to sustainably and proactively manage their supply chains, as well as the ‘Global Commodity Impact Indicators for Biodiversity’ initiative meant to help businesses understand and reduce the impacts of commodity production on biodiversity.

A report of the Forum, which met from 12-14 October 2014, was to be made available to the COP. [Business and Biodiversity Forum Website] [Statement of the CBD Executive Secretary] [IISD RS coverage of CBD COP 12]