UNIDO helps steer industries towards a sustainability path, in line with Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

18 January 2023

VIENNA, 18 January 2023 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) supports its Member States to steer their industries on a path to sustainability, to restore ecosystems and ensure conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, said UNIDO’s Managing Director Ciyong Zou.

Speaking at the High-Level Segment of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15) held in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada, he emphasized that conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are embedded in the UNIDO mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

COP 15, chaired by China and hosted by Canada, resulted in the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework after intensive negotiations involving 188 Parties to the CBD. The Framework provides a strategic vision and a roadmap for the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity for the next decade.

The Framework consists of four overarching global goals and 23 targets for 2030 aimed at protecting nature. The goals include halting human-induced extinction of threatened species, sustainable use and management of biodiversity, fair sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic resources, and digital sequence information on genetic resources. Adequate means of implementing the Framework has to be accessible to all Parties, particularly least developed countries and small island developing States.

Targets of particular relevance to UNIDO include reducing pollution risks, sustainable management of areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry, encouraging and enabling people to make sustainable consumption choices, integrating biodiversity into policies and regulations, ensuring capacity-building and development, access to and transfer of technology, promoting development effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making, among others.

“Circular economy is one of the promising solutions to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” said Zou. Biodiversity protection is intertwined with climate action and UNIDO’s portfolio incorporates numerous nature-positive components, including eco-industrial park solutions, circular agri-businesses interventions, nature-based infrastructure and valuation of ecosystem services. “This combination of partnership building, policy coordination and on-the-ground action is UNIDO’s contribution to build a resilient, diverse and inclusive world,” he stressed.

Together with Heads of United Nations agencies, Managing Director participated in the side event on “Pledging Commitments to Implement the Common Approach on Biodiversity and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”.

During the visit to Montreal, Zou also met with heads or senior officials from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat and the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The bilateral meetings focused on reviewing ongoing cooperation and exploring avenues for future joint activities.