Government position concerning the Convention on Biological Diversity
Published
Sweden’s commitment to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is part of the effort to achieve equitable and sustainable development around the world. At present, Sweden is actively contributing to preparation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. It is intended that the new framework will apply following a decision taken at the meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the CBD in December 2022..
One objective of Sweden’s environmental policy is to find solutions to domestic environmental problems without harming the environment and people’s health beyond Sweden’s borders. Sweden’s work within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity is guided by the following:
- countries around the world must cooperate to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services;
- there is a link between poverty reduction and biodiversity – when ecosystem services are destroyed or overexploited, those first affected are vulnerable groups that are directly dependent on biodiversity;
- strengthening women’s rights is a critical factor for ensuring food security;
- nature conservation and safeguarding ecosystem services contribute to climate action; and
- democratic governance characterised by legal certainty, transparency and accessibility ensures the rights of both businesses and individuals to natural resources.
Discussions on the CBD’s new post-2020 global biodiversity framework were held between 2019 and 2022. In the efforts to prepare the CBD’s new framework, Sweden is pushing for the following:
- replacing the current strategic plan with an ambitious framework that allows for enhanced implementation efforts in the work to halt and reverse the ongoing loss of biodiversity;
- as a rule, objectives are to be measurable and time-bound;
- objectives to prevent the depletion of genetic variation are to be scientifically correct;
- the new framework must be inclusive so that all social actors, such as civil society organisations and the business sector, feel that they can help achieve the objectives; and
- the new framework is to both give and receive a boost from implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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