The post-2015 development agenda "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development", including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted during the UN Sustainable Development Summit from 25-27 September 2015 in New York. This agenda sets the path for governments, UN agencies, civil society, and businesses to work together to end poverty, promote prosperity and people’s well-being while protecting the environment from 2016 to 2030. The new agenda raises challenges that should be addressed and opportunities that can be seized.
In this regard, UNCTAD' BioTrade Initiative will organize, on November 25, a briefing session on "Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: trade in biodiversity-based goods and services".
This briefing aims to provide Geneva-based trade representatives and other participants with increased understanding on the opportunities and challenges that would emerge from the SDGs in relation to trade, biodiversity and livelihoods development, focusing on SDGs 1, 2, 12, 15 and 17. It will also demonstrate concretely how trade and biodiversity programmes, such as BioTrade, can be leveraged to help countries and organizations realize these goals.
The 2030 Agenda seeks to bring about transformations that benefit the people and the planet, and that enhance partnerships. In this regard, the briefing will also provide practical cases, such as those related to the BioTrade Initiative and others led by private stakeholders, that contribute to biodiversity sustainability and sustainable use and that can help achieving the SDGs. Several short and focused presentations will be made by speakers, followed by discussion among participants.
UNCTAD's BioTrade Initiative is a practical programme that can make a concrete contribution to sustainable development. During the briefing, the third phase of the BioTrade Facilitation Programme (BTFP III), which is a partnership between UNCTAD and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), will be launched. This Programme aims to mainstream BioTrade in relevant multilateral, regional and national processes and strengthen the policy and regulatory environment for BioTrade sectors so as to enable key stakeholders (governments, communities and companies) to take advantage of policy options and strategies available for leveraging BioTrade sectors. To achieve this goal, three components will be implemented:
- Mainstreaming BioTrade in sustainable sourcing and use in sustainable development strategies, including in global biodiversity targets;
- Identifying barriers to trade of biodiversity-based products; and
- Understanding and mapping policy options on certain aspects of the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing on BioTrade.
