Press releases
UN Biodiversity Chief Signs Memorandum of Understanding with World Future Council
Hamburg/Montreal, 12 December 2011. Today, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Future Council in Hamburg, Germany, in order to establish a framework of cooperation in promoting the implementation of the Convention and its Strategic Plan 2011 to 2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
The World Future Council informs and advises policy makers about best policies for a sustainable future and awards every year visionary policies with its Future Policy Award.
Ahmed Djoghlaf explained that: “It is important to identify and promote laws and policies that successfully protect, monitor and regulate biodiversity in order to support the implementation of the Convention by its Contracting Parties. Therefore, we are looking forward to working closely together with the World Future Council.”
In the International Year on Biodiversity, the two organizations already worked together to highlight best practices in biodiversity law-making. Delegates, ministers, decision-makers, media and donors gathered at the Future Policy Award 2010 Ceremony in Nagoya, Japan, to witness the first prize be awarded to Costa Rica’s Biodiversity Law 1998, which the WFC considered as a milestone of excellence in meeting the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Silver award went to Australia’s Great Barrier Marine Park Act with the Japanese Biodiversity Act, the Norwegian Nature Diversity Act as well as Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index mentioned as further exemplary policies.
This year, during the International Year on Forests, the World Future Council and the Convention Secretariat joined with the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to award policies which contribute best to the conservation and sustainable development of forests. The winners of the 2011 Future Policy Award were announced in New York in September. Rwanda’s National Forest Policy took home the Gold Award, The Gambia’s Community Forest Policy and the United States Lacey Act with its amendment of 2008 received the Silver Awards.
“Under Ahmed Djoghlaf’s leadership, the international community has agreed an ambitious biodiversity action plan to be achieved by the year 2020. In light of the looming biodiversity crisis and the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, the World Future Council looks forward to further collaboration with the Convention Secretariat in identifying and spreading best practices in biodiversity policies in the interest of future generations,’’ said Alexandra Wandel, Director of the World Future Council.
Today’s memorandum of understanding covers the ongoing cooperation in Future Policy Award events. These will be organized in conjunction with meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, where high level representatives can participate and increase their mutual interests on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Furthermore, the Parties want to share experience and expertise in the areas of biodiversity laws and policies and explore opportunities to disseminate biodiversity-related research, academic papers and training materials at CBD and WFC events with the aim of providing in-depth understanding of the values and standards of laws and policies honoured by the Future Policy Awards. 2
Notes to Editors
The World Future Council
The World Future Council brings the interests of future generations to the centre of policy-making. It’s up to 50 eminent members from around the globe have already successfully promoted change. The Council addresses challenges to our common future and provides decision makers with effective policy solutions. The World Future Council (WFC) is registered as a charitable foundation in Hamburg, Germany.
The WFC Future Policy Award celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. The aim of the award is to raise global awareness for these exemplary policies and speed up policy action towards just, sustainable and peaceful societies. The Future Policy Award is the first award that celebrates policies rather than people on an international level.
For more information, visit www.worldfuturecouncil.org and www.worldfuturecouncil.org/future_policy_award.html
For additional information, please contact Ina Neuberger (Media World Future Council) at ina.neuberger@worldfuturecouncil.org, or +49 (0)40 30 70 914-16.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 193 Parties onboard, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders. This includes indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a subsidiary agreement to the Convention. It seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. To date, 160 countries plus the European Union have ratified the Cartagena Protocol. The Secretariat of the Convention and its Cartagena Protocol is located in Montreal, Canada. For more information, visit www.cbd.int. For additional information, please contact David Ainsworth at david.ainsworth@cbd.int or +1 514 287 7025, or Johan Hedlund at johan.hedlund@cbd.int or +1 514 287 6670.
The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets are available at: https://www.cbd.int/doc/strategic-plan/2011-2020/Aichi-Targets-EN.pdf
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