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Top executive of UN convention on biodiversity to visit the Philippines

Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Montreal-based United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will visit the Philippines on June 19 to 22 to discuss collaboration among the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), and the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in protecting and conserving the ASEAN region’s rich but highly threatened biodiversity.

“This is Dr. Djoghlaf’s first visit to the Philippines and the first visit of the highest ranking official of an international multilateral convention. The SCBD is our strategic partner in enhancing the capacity of ASEAN Member Countries to meet their obligations to the CBD,” Executive Director Rodrigo Fuentes of ACB said.

The Philippines is among the 191 countries that are signatories to the Convention. ASEAN Member Countries Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam also are signatories, the latest addition of which is Brunei which deposited its instrument of accession in April 2008.

Signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the Convention on Biodiversity is the first global agreement to cover the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The SCBD was established to support the goals of the Convention by assisting member governments in the implementation of the Convention’s various programs of work, coordinating with other international organizations, and collecting and disseminating information on biodiversity conservation.
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Early this year, the ACB and SCBD signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to jointly undertake programs in the areas of biodiversity research, capacity building and training, public education and awareness, policy development and coordination, as well as technical cooperation for the conservation and sustainable development of biodiversity in the Southeast Asian region.

“The collaboration between the two institutions is expected to strengthen the ASEAN’s efforts in articulating policies and initiatives that integrates biodiversity with development concerns,” Director Fuentes said.

ACB, an intergovernmental centre of excellence supported by the European Union and hosted by the Philippines, has lined up a series of activities in honor of Dr. Djoghlaf, including courtesy calls on DENR Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr. and United Nations Development Programme Deputy Resident Representative Mr. Kyo Naka; meetings with Senators involved in biodiversity and environment issues; a press conference; a roundtable discussion with representatives from the public and private sectors, the academe, and civil society groups involved in promoting biodiversity conservation; a visit to the ACB Headquarters, a meeting with heads of the scientific community, and a tour of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna.

DENR Undersecretaries Demetrio Ignacio and Manuel Gerochi and DENR-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim will participate in the activities.