Brussels, 13/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The coordinated position to be defended by the EU at the international conferences on biodiversity to be held this autumn was decided upon on Thursday 12 June by the Environment Council. This was a sizeable task, as the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 12, 6-7 October, Pyeonghchang, South Korea) will focus on the implementation of the strategic programme for biodiversity 2011-2020, the mobilisation of financial resources and the preservation of marine and coastal biodiversity.
In unanimous conclusions, the Council confirms the firm commitment of the EU and its member states to implement the framework convention and its protocols - the Cartagena Protocol on bio-security and the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing. It stresses how important it is for the Nagoya Protocol to enter into force in July so that the first conference of the parties to this protocol can be held at the same time as COP 12.
The Council calls for the Convention's objectives and those of the strategic programme to be reflected in the objectives and the sustainable development indicators. It stresses the need for the global post-2015 framework for sustainable development to support conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity and to tackle the causes of the loss in biodiversity. In this regard, it welcomes the initiative taken by the South Korean government to host a high-level conference on Biodiversity for sustainable development in the context of COP 12. (AN)