11 December 2014: The Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea has presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon the three major outcomes of the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12) on the role of biodiversity for sustainable development, for transmittal to the 69th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The high-level ‘Gangwon Declaration on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’ and two COP decisions on ‘Integrating biodiversity into the post-2015 development agenda’ and ‘Biodiversity for poverty eradication and sustainable development’ were presented in connection with upcoming negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.

The Declaration, according to the CBD, “emphasizes the relevance and key contribution of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Vision for 2050 to the post-2015 development agenda at all levels, and invites the General Assembly to integrate them effectively in the post-2015 development agenda.”

CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias commented that “The results of COP 12 are further testament to the growing realization that biodiversity is essential for sustainable development, and is the basis for solutions to a number of challenges we will face in the 21st century, including food and water security, disaster risk reduction and others.” [CBD News]