Convention on Biological Diversity
Switzerland
The EMG, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and with support from the Government of Switzerland, convened a Nexus Dialogue on Biodiversity and Human Security on 2–3 May 2018 in Geneva. The dialogue explored the vital role of biodiversity in supporting human security and wellbeing, and opportunities to strengthen its integration into policies and practices across sectors.
Bringing together more than 100 participants from 55 organizations, including UN entities, governments, academia, civil society and the private sector, the dialogue examined the interconnections between biodiversity and human rights, food and water security, health, climate change, disaster risk reduction, trade, migration and conflict. Discussions highlighted how healthy ecosystems underpin livelihoods and human wellbeing, while also recognizing the potential trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and other development priorities.
Participants shared experiences and good practices in biodiversity mainstreaming, identifying opportunities to strengthen governance, enhance cross-sectoral collaboration and improve communication on the importance of nature. Key priorities included securing stronger political support for biodiversity, integrating biodiversity considerations into national policies and development planning, fostering long-term partnerships and promoting innovative tools and approaches for monitoring and decision-making.
The dialogue resulted in eight key recommendations calling for a shift from recognizing the importance of biodiversity to systematically integrating it into policies, programmes and decision-making. The recommendations emphasized the importance of coordinated UN system-wide action, stronger partnerships and more effective communication to accelerate progress towards global biodiversity targets, support the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.