United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) entered into force on 29 December 1993. The three main objectives of the CBD are

the conservation of biological diversity;
the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; and
the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

Parties to the Convention meet in Conferences of the Parties (COPs) every two years, as well as in technical meetings throughout the year, to discuss ways to advance the implementation of the Convention.

In 2018, UN Women organized a capacity-building and technical workshop for Parties and other stakeholders to enhance knowledge of the interlinkages between biodiversity and gender equality and women’s empowerment. The workshop gave impetus to the establishment of a Friends of Gender Equality group within the CBD process. The group now serves as the interface between Parties and non-Party gender equality advocates such as UN Women and the Women’s Caucus (civil society voice), in an effort to ensure that gender perspectives are taken into consideration in Parties’ intergovernmental deliberations. Such action builds on the preamble to the Convention, and the emphasis on the vital role that women play in the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and the need for the full participation of women at all levels of policy-making and implementation for biological diversity conservation.