Secretary-General's video message for Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Your Excellency President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea, Honorable Mr. Yoon Seongkyu, Minister of the Environment of Korea, Ms. Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer of Global Environment Facility, Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of Convention on Biological Diversity, Honorable Choi Moon-Soon, Governor of Gangwon Province, Honorable Sim Jae-guk, Mayor of Pyeongchang, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to greet the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  I thank the Government of the Republic of Korea for hosting this meeting.  Biodiversity and ecosystem services are the basis for our health, wealth and well-being.  Biodiversity also plays a key role in mitigating and adapting to climate change and reducing vulnerability to disasters.

The ongoing effort to shape the post-2015 development agenda provides a welcome opportunity to promote biodiversity.

The recent outcome of the Open Working Group of the General Assembly includes a strong call to halt the loss of biodiversity and land degradation, foster the sustainable use of ecosystems and enhance marine biodiversity.

There has been important progress in safeguarding biodiversity, including the entry into force of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.  But much more remains to be done. 

I call on all of you to enhance your efforts to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. I urge you to continue to bring the voice of biodiversity into the post-2015 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

Above all, I call upon you to take the steps to implement both of these agendas, for our sake and for the sake of future generations.

Thank you.