…Supports the establishment of a global biodiversity fund and additional funds to least developed countries
By Abdallah el-Kurebe
Zambian government has expressed its commitment to continue to halt and reverse the global biodiversity loss by 2030.
The country’s minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Elijah Muchima stated this on Thursday while speaking during the high-level segment of the 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) taking place in Canada between 15th and 17th December, 2022.
According to the Minister who was represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ms. Dalphne Chabu, “Zambia supports all efforts aimed at facilitating the adoption of an ambitious, well balanced and practical post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
To achieve the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which seeks to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss by 2030, Mr. Muchima posited, “a Global Biodiversity Fund should be established with additional funds channeled to least developed countries in order for them to conserve and protect biodiversity.”
He informed the Conference that Zambia had achieved approximately 40% level of protection and maintains its support for the global protected area target of 30%, which should be a global target to be implemented according to each country’s capabilities.
“In this regard least developed countries such as Zambia, should be supported in strengthening management effectiveness of protected areas and to recognize the rights and roles of local communities in the implementation of this target,” he said.
He reiterated that Zambia acknowledges that special provision is required to meet the needs of developing countries, including the provision of appropriate access to technologies, scientific cooperation and capacity building in awareness, uptake and mainstreaming of biodiversity and the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework into economic development sectors.
The Minister informed the High Level Segment that “to contribute to this noble cause, at country level, Zambia has and will continue to restore degraded ecosystems such as wetlands in order to restore their optimum level of providing goods and services while enhancing climate change adaptation of local communities that depend on them.”
He further said there should be an urgent international solution to address access and benefit sharing from utilisation of Digital Sequence Information derived from genetic resources.
“In this regard the country calls for capacity building in regulating and promoting benefit sharing from the utilisation of tangible genetic resources and Digital Sequence Information.”
The 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was initially supposed to be held in China in 2020, but was moved to Montreal, Canada due to COVID-19 global pandemic,
China continues to chair the Conference and maintains the COP Presidency.
Other matters being discussed at the Conference include biosafety, health and biodiversity, invasive alien species, agriculture and biodiversity, wildlife, to mention a few.
