Convention on Biological Diversity

A 1992 international treaty whose objectives are conserving biological diversity, using its components sustainably, and sharing benefits from genetic resources fairly and equitably.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: A protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity that governs transboundary movements of living modified organisms. It applies the treaty’s biodiversity safeguards to living modified organisms and international trade.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development: The 1992 United Nations summit in Rio de Janeiro that produced major environmental agreements and declarations. The Convention was opened for signature at this summit.
United Nations Environment Programme: The United Nations agency coordinating international environmental work and supporting environmental agreements. It convened the negotiations that produced the Convention.
Access and benefit-sharing: Rules and practices governing access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits from their use. The treaty made fair benefit-sharing a formal international objective.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: An international treaty regulating trade in specimens of listed wild animals and plants. Unlike this species-and-trade treaty, the Convention addresses biodiversity broadly, including genetic resources and ecosystems.
Nagoya Protocol: A protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity that sets rules for access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing. It gives operational rules to the treaty’s objective of equitable benefit-sharing.
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development: A 1992 declaration of principles on environment and development adopted at the Rio Earth Summit. Its principles provide the broader political context for the Convention’s adoption.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities: Communities with distinct collective identities, institutions, and relationships to their territories and resources. The treaty recognizes their knowledge and roles in conserving biodiversity, subject to national law.
Sovereignty over natural resources: The principle that states control the use of natural resources within their jurisdiction, subject to international law. The Convention affirms national authority over genetic resources, reshaping access from open use toward regulated consent.
Convention on Wetlands: An international treaty providing a framework for conserving and wisely using wetlands. It focuses on wetlands, while the Convention covers biodiversity across ecosystems and levels of biological organization.

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