Capturing currents

 Malini Shankar Cali, Colombia. Digital Discourse Foundation C. Achalendra Reddy, chairperson of India’s National Biodiversity Authority and Chairman of the UN’s Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 5) inaugurated the Subsidiary Body on Implementation in UNCBD’s Conference of Parties 16 venue in Cali Columbia today. SBI 5 is meant to focus on implementing the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Reddy dwelt on Biodiversity targets. Stake-holder involvement, NGOs, Government agencies are critical he said. Inter-agency coordination with multiple government departments is critical for ex-situ conservation of medicinal plants in the wild. This will help multiple stakeholders including indigenous people, civil society participants, NGOs, and so many others. Earlier at a Press Conference he said “The digital programme targets for (National Biodiversity Stratigic Action Plans) - NBSAPs is most challenging”. Dwelling on the significance of medicinal plants Reddy emph

Considering everything from regulated whaling to Sustainable Development to soil conservation to benefit sharing mechanism to indigenous peoples’ rights to Climate Change Adaptation, Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation and more … all within the paradigms of Equitable growth, CITES, Human Rights, gender equality, Climate resilience, poverty eradication, gender sensitive land rights, are on the table at the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity in Cali Colombia, it certainly does not hurt to lend sharper focus to the Convention. The effort has been to focus sharply on SDGs 14, 15 and 17 for sure, but their corresponding targets and goals in themselves are a wide horizon. But what cannot be ignored is that if Humanity ignores Biodiversity Conservation Desertification will expand, threatening lives, livelihoods, food security and it will lead to irreversible damage to Planet Earth which is home to endangered fauna… whose habitat has been wantonly destroyed by adamant Humanity refusing

  By Malini Shankar Digital Discourse Foundation Making Peace with Nature is one of the lofty goals of the currently underway United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties 16 in Cali Columbia. To make this a reality COP 16 is aiming at realising the goals envisioned in SDGs (in SDG 14, 15 and 17, to be precise) which is Life Under Water, Life on Land and Partnerships for the Goals respectively. Making peace with Nature encompasses a whole gamut of issues…combatting biopiracy to veganism / vegetarianism… to fair trade, benefit sharing of genetic resources to protection and promotion of traditional wisdom and benefit sharing mechanisms. Biosafety protocols, decreasing harmful subsidies on fertilisers and toxic agricultural practices are just some of the  issues on the table in Cali. Habitat protection for marine wildlife, regulated whaling, (huh?) cleansing the oceans of human generated debris, (SDG 14) to mitigation of human wildlife conflict (SDG 15)

  By Malini Shankar, Digital Discourse Foundation In the first part of the curtain raiser series we tried to comprehend the basic meaning and significance of Biodiversity that is at the heart of benefit sharing mechanisms of the Nogoya Protocol for instance. It is the attempt to protect Common Property Resources sustainably by the UNCBD or United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity. Today let’s try to figure the need for its governance.  "The Conference encompasses the 16th Meeting of the Conference of Parties serving as the meeting of parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the fifth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources, and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits from their Utilisation. It will include a high level ministerial segment." According to the official website of the UNCBD COP 16 Let us understand by example. The Kani tribes in Kerala shared a patent with the Tropical Botanical Garde

  Conference of Parties 16 of the UNCBD What does it portend for India? By Malini Shankar, Digital Discourse Foundation The 16 th Conference of Parties ( COP 16)  of the United Nations Convention on Bio-Diversity or UNCBD COP 16 is being held for over a fortnight starting 16 th October 2024 in Cali Colombia. What do these big words mean exactly and why is it so significant? Let’s try to decode in this three part Curtain Raiser series, brought to you by  Digital Discourse Foundation . T he United Nations is a global body of governance that came into force in the Post II nd World War period when Peace was badly needed on fair terms.  It has, as its members 193 signatory nations and India was one of the first signatory member states having become a Member State as far back as on 30.10.1945 barely a few days after the UN came into existence, while Germany for instance became a Member State only in 1973. That should explain in a crisp sentence the global significance of Gandhian T