International news

Statement of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations, on the occasion of the Official Launch of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France, 28 January 2019

It is with great regret and deepest sadness that we convey news of the untimely death of Dr Bradnee Chambers, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Among his numerous achievements is the strengthened collaboration among the biodiversity-related conventions towards common objectives. His loss will be felt by each of them. He was an extraordinary advocate and champion for the environment, and a kind and wonderful human. His friends and colleagues at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity would like to express their deepest sympathy to his family and to all staff at the CMS Secretariat.

Blog post prepared by the Executive Secretary for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting: We need to understand the nature and gravity of the collective crisis that now confronts human civilization if we are to answer the questions it poses.

The 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP14) closed tonight with broad international agreement on reversing the global destruction of nature and biodiversity loss threatening all forms of life on Earth.

Statement of the Executive Secretary, Ms. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, at the closing of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference 2018, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 29 November 2018

The two-year wait is over! Amidst the beating sun of Sharm-el-Sheikh comes a project from the cold, dark winter of Northern Europe.

The global community will lay the groundwork for action over the next few decades to protect biodiversity and nature at the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference, scheduled to take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from 17 to 29 November 2018.

Opening statement by Ms. Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the 2018 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, 17 November 2018, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

The 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference[1] opened yesterday in the seaside town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt with an opening ceremony that included an address from President of Egypt, H.E. Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi, who emphasized the crucial importance of the meeting for Egypt, and for global efforts for sustainable development.

The Republic of Egypt, as the President of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its concurrent meetings (COP14), and the People's Republic of China, as future host of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its concurrent meetings (COP15) in 2020, together with the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, are teaming up to launch the Sharm El-Sheikh to Beijing Action Agenda for Nature and People.