October 2012: During the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held from 8-19 October 2012, in Hyderabad, India, CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias and the Government of India made strong calls to Parties, partners and other stakeholders to become “biodiversity champions” by pledging support to achieve the Aichi biodiversity targets.

The Hyderabad Call for Biodiversity Champions invites Parties, partners and other stakeholders to make a pledge to support one or more Aichi targets. The pledge may cover a particular region or sub-region, include financial, technical or other forms of support, and be time-bound.

During CBD COP 11, India became a “biodiversity champion” by pledging US$50 million for conservation in India and other developing countries in the next two years. [Hyderabad Call for Biodiversity Champions]