29 October 2010: The 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded on 29 October in Nagoya, Japan, with the adoption of: the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, which, after seven years of negotiations, sets out rules and procedures for implementing the Convention’s third objective; the CBD Strategic Plan for the period 2011-2020, including a mission, and strategic goals and targets aiming to inspire broad-based action by parties and stakeholders; and a decision on activities and indicators for the implementation of the Strategy for Resource Mobilization adopted at COP 9.

Delegates representing parties and other governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental, non-governmental, indigenous and local community (ILC) representatives, academia and industry attended the meeting, which considered a series of strategic, substantive, administrative and budgetary issues. Forty-seven decisions were adopted in total. In addition to the ABS, Strategic Plan and resource mobilization decisions, the meeting considered issues related to: cooperation with other conventions, organizations and initiatives; marine and coastal biodiversity; climate change; forest biodiversity; biofuels; and Article 8(j) (traditional knowledge).

The meeting also: adopted a decision amounting to a de facto moratorium on geo-engineering; took a stance on the issue of synthetic biology, urging governments to apply the precautionary approach to the field release of synthetic life into the environment and acknowledging parties’ right to suspend it; affirmed the role of the CBD in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and forest conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+); adopted the Tkarihwaié:ri code of ethical conduct; and established clear steps to increase cooperation among the Rio Conventions leading up to the Rio+20 Summit. [IISD RS coverage] [CBD COP 10 Website]