Unctad updates principles to promote biodiversity-friendly trade
Intergovernmental body the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) has launched its updated BioTrade Principles and Criteria, a set of guidelines for governments and companies to conduct biodiversity-friendly trade.
The term “BioTrade” refers to the supply and commercialisation of goods and services derived from a country’s biodiversity. Examples include the production of jujube in Myanmar or farming of queen conch in the Caribbean.
The legal wildlife trade is a global, multibillion-dollar enterprise accelerating biodiversity loss, with an estimated one-million plant and animal species now at risk of extinction, according to a United Nations (UN) report.
The threat is not only ecosystem collapse but also a heightened risk of new pandemics such as Covid-19.
The guidelines, first created in 2007, set out how the Earth’s precious natural resources can be traded in an environmentally-, socially- and economically-sustainable manner.
“Biodiversity is a global concern and priority. Learning from practices, experiences, legal and policy frameworks is key, as reflected in these updated principles and criteria, which guide practitioners in this field,” says Unctad deputy secretary-general Isabelle Durant.
The seven principles address issues such as conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity, equitable sharing of the benefits of BioTrade between different actors and respect for the rights of indigenous people and local communities.
The updated principles and criteria take into account experiences, best practices and lessons learned by partners and practitioners since the first edition, adding new elements such as climate resilience, marine biodiversity and sustainable tourism.
They also update elements such as workers’ rights, health and safety and access and benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol.
BENEFITS
The principles and criteria seek to encourage trade and investment in developing countries’ unique natural resources, including various species of flora and fauna, genetic resources and ecosystems, while ensuring their long-term conservation and enhancement.
They have been implemented in more than 65 countries to date, with several examples of successful adoption by governments, companies and communities, Unctad notes.
Following two years of consultations with governments, companies and entrepreneurs, the updated principles and criteria reflect their experiences since 2007.
They are accompanied by an online BioTrade self-assessment tool to help companies and initiatives on their paths towards environment-friendly business.
The principles and criteria were updated as part of the global BioTrade programme launched by Unctad in 2018, with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
They are more closely aligned with key multilateral environmental agreements. They are also in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris climate agreement and the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources.
Partners of Unctad’s BioTrade programme have called for the updated principles and criteria to be reflected in the new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which will provide the biodiversity roadmap for the next decade.
The framework is expected to be adopted during the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, slated for the second quarter of 2021. The partners have also encouraged more countries and stakeholders to use the principles and criteria to build resilient sectors, businesses and communities.
Comments
The
functionality
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation