International Development Law Organization

Biodiversity

Biodiversity and ecosystems means much more than saving whales and pretty landscapes: it is instrumental in reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development. By contrast, the loss of biodiversity – habitats, crops, animal breeds – threatens to negate decades of development gains, and those most harshly affected will be the world's most vulnerable people. Overcoming environmental degradation is an act of justice. Strong laws backing empowered people can make the difference.

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Development signals a milestone in awareness of the interconnected nature of environmental and development goals. Success will require bringing people across society for transformative shifts towards more sustainable choices. IDLO has been working since 2011 to advance discussions on the role of the rule of law for environmental sustainability – raising awareness about innovative new legal norms for sustainability and working hand-in-hand with national lawyers around the world to share legal breakthroughs.

Capacity building programme to support the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol

The entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol in 2014 represented a major milestone in the global commitment to promote access and benefit sharing (ABS) of the use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. As of August 2017, 100 Parties in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had ratified the Nagoya Protocol, and many now need to adopt national measures to operationalize it at the domestic level.

IDLO Toasts Green Bid Win

Excitement shone out of the stream of emails flowing through Rome headquarters late on Thursday. IDLO, it turned out, had just been picked by the UN to lead a new project: ensuring that signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity can meet their commitments. 

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Key Initiatives

  • As part of IDLO’s continuous commitment to accountability and results-based management, IDLO is pleased to share this Evaluation Brief (summarised evaluation report): “Capacity Building Programme To Support The Implementation Of The Nagoya Protocol”. The evaluation has been conducted by independent evaluation experts, supervised by IDLO’s Evaluation Unit.
  • Traditionally under the remit of environmentalists alone, biodiversity has now been recognized in the 2030 Agenda as a key element of global development that should be integrated across all sectors. Kenya’s Constitution includes provisions related to environment and natural resource management, which has given impetus to new laws, policies and other enabling legal instruments at the national and county levels.
  • Dealing with ecosystem degradation has long been seen as the purview of environmentalists alone. With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), biodiversity has been recognized as essential to human resilience and economic opportunity, and its preservation requires action from all sectors of society.
  • The entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol in 2014 represented a major milestone in the global commitment to promote access and benefit sharing (ABS) of the use of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. As of August 2017, 100 Parties in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) had ratified the Nagoya Protocol, and many now need to adopt national measures to operationalize it at the domestic level.
  • The Legal Preparedness for Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets Initiative was launched in 2012 by IDLO and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Initiative provides a central hub for stakeholders and experts to share knowledge and build capacity, contributing to a global effort to raise understanding of “biodiversity laws” and their role in supporting countries to achieve their biodiversity goals related to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
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