Montreal – 23 March 2007. In the context of the enhanced dialogue initiated between the Secretariat and its partners, a high-level delegation from Japan paid a visit to the offices of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity on 21–22 March.
Mr. Daisuke Kadowaki, Assistant Director, Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, provided an overview of Japan’s national biodiversity strategy, informing the Secretariat that, in the process of revising the strategy, Japan will consider global biodiversity issues, such as the 2010 target of achieving a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss
Mr. Daizaburo Kuroda, Deputy Director General and Councillor, Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, stated: “It is an honour and a privilege for us to be here at the Secretariat to discuss the implementation of the work programme of the Convention including the preparation of the meetings of the Conference of the Parties.”
Issues discussed included: (i) Communications strategy for the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention; (ii) Japanese version of the Global Biodiversity Outlook; (iii) revision of the Japan’s national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP). Japan revised its NBSAP in 2002 and is currently in the process of its third revision on which progress is scheduled to be reported on during the forthcoming July meeting of the Convention’s Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention (WGRI). Japan also agreed to try to give priority to early preparation of its fourth national report under Article 26 of the Convention, as it will be an important tool in assessing progress towards achieving the 2010 biodiversity target.
The visit was an opportunity to discuss Japan’s offer to host the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Mr. Kuroda presented Japan’s offer to the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 12), which was holding a meeting on the Secretariat’s premises during the visit. The Bureau welcomed the decision adopted by the Japanese Cabinet on 16 January 2007. Mr Kuroda stated that the Government of Japan, in
particular, Prime Minister Abe, has put its full support behind this endeavour and that 2010 will be
a momentous year for biodiversity and Japan, as 2010 is the International Year for Biodiversity
and also the deadline for achieving the 2010 biodiversity target.
“The announcement by Mr. Kuroda of Minister of Environment Wakabayashi’s intention to place biodiversity as a high priority issue for its presidency of the G-8 Environment Minister’s meeting, is another example of Japan’s commitment to play a leadership role for achieving the 2010 biodiversity target,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the most broadly subscribed international environmental treaties in the world. Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, it currently has 190 Parties—189 States and the European Community—who have committed themselves to its three main goals: the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its components and the equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. The Secretariat of the Convention is located in Montreal.
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