International Day for Biological Diversity 2024

About

The International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated each year on May 22, aims to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. Although it was originally celebrated in late December, the UN General Assembly later decided to move the date to 22 May, which commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992.

Biodiversity is the living fabric of our planet. It underpins human well-being in the present and in the future, and its rapid decline threatens nature and people alike. According to the latest Global Assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), human activities are driving biodiversity loss at an unprecedented rate. However, the assessment also indicated that solutions existed and that it was not too late to act.

2024 Theme | Be part of the Plan

“Be part of the Plan”, the theme of IDB 2024, is a call to action for all stakeholders to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, also referred to as the The Biodiversity Plan.

The Biodiversity Plan offers opportunities for cooperation and partnerships among diverse actors.

Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations, lawmakers, businesses, and individuals are encouraged to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Everyone has a role to play and therefore can Be Part of the Plan.

This year the celebration of IDB will coincide with two meetings of Subsidiary Bodies of the Convention on Biological Diversity both taking place in Nairobi, namely: the twenty-sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA, 13-18 May) and the fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI, 21-29 May).

IDB 2024 is expected to increase the visibility momentum in the lead-up to the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16), to be held in Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

The Biodiversity Plan

On 19 December 2023, the one-year anniversary of the adoption of theKunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity launched “The Biodiversity Plan” campaign aiming to communicate and promote the 4 Goals and the 23 Targets of the Framework to the world. Communicating the Biodiversity Plan is crucial to enabling a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach that will take the world from agreement to action.

The International Day for Biodiversity is the perfect opportunity to keep momentum going in order to protect and restore nature, to prosper with nature, to share benefits fairly, and to invest and collaborate for nature.

Role of Geneva

Various international and local organizations in Geneva are engaged in the protection and conservation of our biological diversity.

Biodiversity Day Celebration 2024 | International Geneva Implementing the Biodiversity Plan

In the lead-up to the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD that will take place from 21 October to 1 November 2024 in Cali, Colombia, this year’s Biodiversity Day celebration in Geneva will be the occasion to bring together governments, intergovernmental organizations, multi-lateral environmental agreements, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and other civil society organizations to highlight international Geneva’s role in implementing the Biodiversity Plan, including mobilizing and bolstering its means of implementation. → Join the event taking place on 22 May 2024 at Palais des Nations, Room III from 10:00 to 12:15 CEST

Events

To celebrate the International Day on Biological Diversity, various events are taking in place in Geneva and beyond.

Links

• Official Website | CBD
• International Day for Biological Diversity | GEN
• Biodiversity and Geneva | GEN
• UNECE Updates Monitoring Guidelines to Help Countries Implement GBF | IISD | 1 February 2023