Secretary-General's video message to the High Level Segment of the Tenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Your Conference comes less than one month after the General Assembly convened its first-ever high-level meeting on biodiversity.

This landmark event signalled a recognition of the importance of biodiversity to our collective well-being and the achievement of our development goals.

Our target to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 has not been met. Climate change is bringing more pressure still.

We need to intensify our efforts.

We need a new vision ? and new determination.

I commend the Government of Japan for its proposal to declare the next ten years the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.

Neglecting the decline in biodiversity costs trillions of dollars each year.

We are wasting our natural capital.

I urge this meeting to move towards a coordinated universal biodiversity framework –beginning with a new Strategic Plan for 2011 to 2020 that encompasses all stakeholders.

I wish you success in adopting a Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing of genetic resources.

And I pledge the full support of the United Nations in conserving and wisely managing biodiversity so all people can enjoy the full benefits of nature's services.

Thank you.