2 November 2010: The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) concluded its general discussion on sustainable development, with speakers hailing the recent adoption, by the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan, of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS).

On the COP 10 outcomes, a number of States, including Algeria, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Monaco and Morocco, welcomed the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol. Colombia called for “effective implementation of the Nagoya objectives in order to protect biodiversity and its benefits for development and poverty eradication through implementation of the ABS Protocol.” The Philippines noted the successful outcomes of COP 10, including the multi-year plan of action for South-South cooperation on biodiversity for development. Serbia said the adoption of the new 10-year Strategic Plan to guide international efforts to save biodiversity was a strong message that protecting the planet has an important place in international politics.

Numerous speakers described national actions. Sri Lanka indicated that it had imposed a complete moratorium on timber felling, placing 13 wet-zone forests under total protection, stressing the importance of community-level ownership. Jordan stated that it has taken comprehensive steps towards conservation of its natural resources and biodiversity. Israel pointed to the establishment of a Centre for Sustainable Development Through International Environmental Cooperation, which seeks to help achieve the goals of the Rio Conventions. Kazakhstan described ongoing work to create a Government system to monitor the environment in the Caspian Sea area, including the use of all its natural resources, as well as the implementation of projects to protect biodiversity. Noting that it has the second-largest level of biodiversity in Latin America, the Dominican Republic said its laws have created protected areas, enabling it to reverse deforestation. Cameroon pointed to the creation of an area of about 900,000 hectares of forest as a buffer zone against the declassification of protected areas.

On governance, Algeria expressed support for a high-level meeting on biodiversity preservation during the 65th session of the UNGA, saying it would be an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and help governments revisit strategies for its protection. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said it is addressing gaps in sustainable agriculture for rural development and other issues related to land use, deforestation, desertification, mountains, biodiversity, oceans, water and wastewater management in rural areas. The Philippines called for unanimous support for the forthcoming resolution on coral reefs, to address the fact that 60 percent of the world’s corals were threatened with bleaching.

Croatia, Kazakhstan, Monaco and Serbia, among others, supported the establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), with Serbia and Croatia calling on UNGA to formalize the relevant agreement.

On finance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo called on States to follow in the footsteps of Japan, which had pledged US$2 billion to protect biodiversity. Noting that developing countries are considered the custodians of biodiversity, Ecuador stressed that without international support, particularly from developed countries, they can not achieve sustainable development. [UN Press Release]