22 May 2014: The International Day for Biological Diversity was celebrated globally on 22 May under the theme ‘Island Diversity,’ a theme that paid tribute to the designation of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, used the Day to draw attention to the opportunities presented by the post-2015 development agenda and the upcoming Third Conference on Small Island Developing States, “to attend to the unique needs of small island developing states and reverse the global decline in biodiversity.”

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), said of the Day, “we recognize the tremendous efforts made by islanders to build a future of life in harmony with nature.” He also took the opportunity to welcome four Parties to the CBD Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. Denmark, the EU, Namibia and Samoa deposited their instruments of ratification to the Protocol in honor of the Day.

Many other international conventions and entities also marked the Day with statements and events. Christopher Briggs, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, highlighted the Convention’s support to the Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Wetlands in the Caribbean, through which 11 island nations and international organizations are building capacity for the implementation of the CBD in the Caribbean. Monique Barbut, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), noted the importance of an ecosystem-based approach to increase the resilience of islands. Bradnee Chambers, Executive-Secretary, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) released an editorial on the impacts of garbage on island biodiversity. [UN News] [CBD News] [Ramsar News] [UNCCD News] [Bradnee Chambers Editorial] [International Day for Biological Diversity website]