Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity is the result of an agreement by world leaders on a comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development" while ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations.

One of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was this Convention of Biological Diversity. This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments sets out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as we go about the business of economic development. The Convention establishes three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources (including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding).

During the Earth Summit also the Convention on Climate Change was signed. 

The CBD entered into force on 29 December 1993, 90 days after the 30th ratification. At the moment there are more than 190 'Parties' to the Convention; 168 countires have signed the convention. The Netherlands ratified the CBD in 1994.
The text of the convention.

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on 29 January 2000. The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.

Furthermore party's are invites to establish a website to exchange information about their Biodiversity Policy. This is kallend the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) genoemd. This webportal (biodiversity-CHM.NL) is the Dutch contribution to the Clearing House Mechanism.

The following websites provide more detailed information about the CBD:

- Website of the CBD: Here information can be found on the Convention as presented by the CBD Secretariate

- Website of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin on Biodiversity: Here information can be found of the reporting services by ENB of the international meetings related to the Convention.