28 October 2010: The Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank, and IUCN launched the Save Our Species (SOS) initiative, with more than US$10 million in financing commitments, and called on businesses to help build the biggest global species conservation fund by 2015.

The Save our Species (SOS) initiative – launched on 28 October in Nagoya on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) – is a global response to the challenge of biodiversity loss. It aims to bring financial support from private business together with international conservation expertise and cooperation from countries facing species extinction.

“Species extinction is a global phenomenon that will take global understanding, global efforts and global resources to overcome,” said World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick. “Our new partners from the private sector are showing a leadership role in the effort to address this crisis and we hope their efforts will inspire other companies, foundations, individuals and governments to join us.”

SOS will provide grants for conservation action on the ground, focusing on specific threatened species and their habitats and fostering coordination between key players. It also gives businesses a unique opportunity to become directly involved in saving the planet’s natural environment, and helps companies meet their sustainable development goals. Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone supplier, has joined SOS. [GEF Press Release]