16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Why in the news?

• The 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity began in Cali, Colombia on 21 October.

Convention on Biological Diversity:

• It is a legally binding multilateral treaty.
• This treaty was signed during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.
• This treaty came into force from December 1993.
• The first session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of this convention was held in Nassau, Bahamas in 1994.
• This convention has three main goals -
  • Conservation of biodiversity,
  • Sustainable use of components of biodiversity and
  • Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
• There are two major protocols under the Convention on Biological Diversity -
  • Cartagena Protocol
  • Nagoya Protocol

Cartagena Protocol:

• It is an international treaty on biosafety.
• Its purpose is to ensure the safe handling, transportation and use of living modified organisms produced from modern biotechnology.
• It was adopted in the year 2000 and implemented in the year 2003.

Nagoya Protocol:

• It was adopted with the aim of ensuring access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use.
• It was adopted in the year 2010 and implemented in the year 2014.