Rio Convention

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Rio Convention relates to the following three conventions, which were agreed at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.

Contents

At the Earth Summit, the decision-making process was tailored to promote a sustainable planet for future generations. The key message entailed the idea that changes in behaviour could be the foundation needed for progress toward the desired transformation for the environment. The resulting documentation from the two-week deliberations and meetings included the following: Agenda 21 (a non-binding action plan of the United Nations promoting sustainable development), the Statement of Forest Principles, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the following Conventions were formed: [1]

  1. UNFCCC, the abbreviation of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
  2. CBD, the abbreviation of Convention on Biological Diversity
  3. UNCCD, the abbreviation of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

History

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the Rio Summit, the Rio Conference, and the Earth Summit, took place in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to 14th in 1992. The conference was unprecedented and aimed to reassess economic development to preserve natural resources and discuss the problem of pollution. [2] The decision-making process was tailored to promote a sustainable planet for future generations. The key message entailed the idea that changes in behaviour could be the foundation needed for progress toward the desired transformation for the environment. The resulting documentation from the two-week deliberations and meetings included the following: Agenda 21 (a non-binding action plan of the United Nations promoting sustainable development), the Statement of Forest Principles, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the following Conventions were formed: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). [2]

Goals of the Three Rio Conventions

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

With 196 ratified parties, the Convention on Biological Diversity aims to conserve and protect biodiversity, biological resources and safeguard life on Earth, as an integral part of economic and social development. Considering biological diversity as a global asset to current and future generations and populations across the planet, the Convention works to prevent species extinction and maintain protected habitats. As well, the CBD promotes the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and works to maintain the environmental and sustainable process of access and benefit sharing, derived from genetic resource use. [3] [4]

Established on December 29th, 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity works to maintain the following three objectives:

  1. “The conservation of biological diversity" [5]
  2. "The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity" [5]
  3. "The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources” [5]

The CBD currently follows the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, [6] used as a vehicle to maintain synergies at National levels. Its mission is to “take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity to ensure that by 2020, ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential services, thereby securing the planet’s variety of life, and contributing to human well-being, and poverty eradication.” [7]

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

With 197 ratified parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is committed to the objective of “[stabilizing] greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” [8] Following the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and previously the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the UNFCCC Secretariat works to maintain the goals and objectives of the Convention, as the primary United Nations body whose role functions to address the threat of climate change. [9]

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) functions as an international agreement that ties the sustainability of land management and the issues of land degradation to the environment. Among the areas of consideration, the Convention focuses on restoring degraded ecosystems found in dryland areas. [10] The UNCCD, consisting of 197 parties works towards creating “a future that avoids, minimizes, and reverses desertification/land degradation and mitigates the effects of drought in affected areas at all levels.” [11]

Legislatively, the UNCCD is committed to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and combat pressing environmental issues of Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) through a newly created 2018-2030 Strategic Framework, consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [12] This framework follows the 10-year strategic plan and framework for 2008-2018 that aimed to establish global partnerships in working toward the reversal and prevention of desertification and land degradation. [10] The UNCCD aims to restore the productivity of degraded land, while improving livelihoods and aiding populations that are vulnerable because of environmental destruction. [10] “The Convention’s 197 parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.” [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention on Biological Diversity</span> International treaty on biological diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity ; the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and it is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth Summit</span> 1992 United Nations conference

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The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, and sustainable cities in developing countries. It is the largest source of multilateral funding for biodiversity globally, and distributes more than $1 billion a year on average to address inter-related environmental challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Day for Biological Diversity</span> Day for the promotion of biodiversity

The International Day for Biological Diversity is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently held on May 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Green Wall (Africa)</span> African Union project on desertification

The Great Green Wall or Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel is a project adopted by the African Union in 2007, initially conceived as a way to combat desertification in the Sahel region and hold back expansion of the Sahara desert, by planting a wall of trees stretching across the entire Sahel from Djibouti, Djibouti to Dakar, Senegal. The original dimensions of the "wall" were to be 15 km wide and 7,775 km long, but the program expanded to encompass nations in both northern and western Africa. The concept evolved into promoting water harvesting techniques, greenery protection and improving indigenous land use techniques, aimed at creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across North Africa. Later it adopted the view that desert boundaries change based on rainfall variations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations General Assembly Second Committee</span> United Nations body

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luc Gnacadja</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodiversity Indicators Partnership</span>

The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) brings together a host of international organizations working on indicator development, to provide the best available information on biodiversity trends to the global community. The Partnership was initially established to help monitor progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2010 Biodiversity target. However, since its establishment in 2006 the BIP has developed a strong identity not only within the CBD but with other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), national and regional governments and other sectors. As a result, the Partnership will continue through international collaboration and cooperation to provide biodiversity indicator information and trends into the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought</span> United Nations observance day, 17 June

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance celebrated each year on 17 June. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. Each year's global celebration has a unique, novel emphasis that had not been developed previously.

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Ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) encompasses a broad set of approaches to adapt to climate change. They all involve the management of ecosystems and their services to reduce the vulnerability of human communities to the impacts of climate change. The Convention on Biological Diversity defines EBA as "the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change".

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Responding to Climate Change (RTCC) is an organization focused on climate change which was founded in 2002. It is an official observer in many UN Conventions, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It also holds Special Advisory Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference</span> COP 15 (Biodiversity)

The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was a conference held in Montreal, Canada, which led to the international agreement to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030 and the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

References

  1. ↑ "Earth_Summit". www.un.org. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  2. 1 2 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1997). Earth Summit. Retrieved from: http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html
  3. ↑ "History of the Convention". www.cbd.int. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  4. ↑ "United Nations Decade on Biodiversity". www.cbd.int. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  5. 1 2 3 "Introduction". www.cbd.int. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  6. ↑ "The Rio Conventions". www.cbd.int. 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  7. ↑ Koketso, S. (2018). Synergies in implementing the CBD and other MEAs. Retrieved from: https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/events/CBD-synergies_0_0.pdf
  8. ↑ United Nations (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf
  9. ↑ UNFCCC (2019). About the Secretariat. Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/about-us/about-the-secretariat
  10. 1 2 3 UNCCD (2018). UNCCD History. Retrieved from https://www.unccd.int/convention/about-convention/unccd-history
  11. 1 2 UNCCD (2019). About the Convention. Retrieved from https://www.unccd.int/convention/about-convention
  12. ↑ UNCCD (2019). Synergies Among Rio Conventions. Retrieved https://www.unccd.int/convention/about-convention/unccd-cbd-and-unfccc-joint-liaison-group
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