St Vincent and the Grenadines is represented by a two -member delegation at the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Biological Diversity (CBD).
Chief Agricultural Officer (Ag) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Transformation, Marcus Richards and Superintendent of Marine and Terrestrial Parks, of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPRBA), Kevin Providence left the state on October 14 for Yerevan, Armenia where the conference is being held.
Mr Richards serves as the Cartegna focal point on biosafety in St. Vincent and the Grenadines while Mr Providence represents the Sustainable Development Unit, which is the CBD focal point.
Their participation reflects the country’s commitment to the biodiversity conservation, suitable resource management and the implementation of global biodiversity targets.
The conference runs from October 19-30. The meetings include CBD COP17, the twelfth meeting of the parties to the Cartagena protocol on biosafety (CP MOP 12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and benefit-sharing (Np-MOP6). The Nagoya protocol aims to prevent the unauthorized exploitation of biological materials and traditional knowledge (often referred to as biopiracy) by establishing a predictable legal framework.
One of the main objectives is the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and its 23 targets.
These meetings address biodiversity protection, biosafety and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
The meetings also provide an important opportunity for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to strengthen international partnerships, contribute to global discussions and explore technical and financial support for national parties. Participation can help advance the sustainable use of biodiversity, strengthen biosafety and access and benefit sharing approaches and safeguard the country’s natural heritage for future generations.
