The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in partnership with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and financial support from the Governments of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, convened an international meeting on "2010 – The Global Biodiversity Challenge" held in London, UK from 21 to 23 May 2003. This meeting coincided with the International Day for Biological Diversity, on 22 May.

The meeting brought together approximately 150 participants including Government nominated experts and representatives of biodiversity-related conventions, UN agencies, academic and research institutions, industry/business sector, local and indigenous communities, international and other relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The meeting was a direct response to decision VI/26 adopted at the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in April 2002. In that decision, the Conference of the Parties adopted the Strategic Plan for the Convention, which commits Parties to a more effective and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention and to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level. This target was endorsed by the Hague Ministerial Declaration of 14 April 2002 and by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in its Plan of Implementation.

Objectives of the meeting:

The main objective of the meeting was to articulate a framework for action for achieving the internationally agreed 2010 target. The specific objectives of the meeting were:

To review approaches for understanding and measuring biodiversity loss;
To review the 2010 target in the context of other biodiversity-related targets
To identify key initiatives in addressing biodiversity loss (such as MEAs) and how they relate to the 2010 target; and
To review and agree on the most appropriate approaches for reporting on progress.

This meeting is also part of the ongoing efforts of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other partners that specifically focus on integrating biodiversity issues in initiatives aimed at meeting the Millennium Development Goals. These initiatives acknowledge the Convention on Biological Diversity as an appropriate framework for further elaboration of the priority actions required to enhance the issue of integration of biodiversity in international and local efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The meeting was therefore seen as an appropriate mechanism for placing biodiversity issues high on the global agenda and also for building on the momentum of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The outcome of the meeting and the associated follow-up work are expected to ensure wider recognition of the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem services in poverty alleviation in the context of sustainable development.

Output:

A summary report of the meeting is available online at www.iisd.ca/linkages/sd/sdgbc. Also, an advance copy of the more detailed report is posted on this site. The outcome of the meeting will be submitted for the consideration of the ninth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity in November 2003 and the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties in February 2004. It is anticipated that the outcome of the meeting will also be considered by the governing bodies of other international biodiversity-related conventions, initiatives and programmes represented in the meeting.