10 December 2014: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has announced that the 2015 International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) will convene under the theme ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development.’

According to the CBD, the choice of this theme reflects the importance of efforts to establish Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the UN post-2015 development agenda, and the relevance of biodiversity to the achievement of sustainable development. The selection of the theme also underscores the adoption of the Gangwon Declaration during the High-level Segment of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12). The Gangwon Declaration calls for, inter alia, the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda to be integrated with other relevant processes such as National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

In addition to preparing outreach materials for the Day, the Secretariat will organize events on 22 May 2015, including one to be held at UN Headquarters in New York, US. [CBD Press Release]