Opening Remarks
20 February 2024, 20:00H | Online
Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim
Executive Director
Chair, GPBB
It is both an honour and a pleasure to welcome you all to the first meeting of the Global Partnership on Business and Biodiversity for 2024. Good evening from Manila, and good morning, good afternoon from wherever you are joining us. It is heartening that we are all taking the time to meet online regardless of our time zones, and I am still amazed at how technology allows us to connect with each other from across the globe. This level of commitment, our innovative use of technology, as well as our openness to collaborate and strengthen our interlinkages are immensely valuable in this second year of implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Thank you for your participation and to Bianca, for organising this meeting.
I would have wanted to attend last year’s GPBB meeting that was generously hosted by Instituto Technologico Vale in Belem, Brazil, and what I understand was a very insightful technical visit courtesy of our friends from Natura and Cofruta Cooperative. I was in Jakarta at the time, where we nevertheless promoted partnerships on business and biodiversity by executing an agreement with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council on the establishment of the ASEAN Business and Biodiversity Initiative or ABBI.
The activities under the ABBI will demonstrate the many benefits of incorporating biodiversity considerations in the business plans and processes of the private sector; encouraging more investments for mainstreaming biodiversity and nature-based solutions through sharing of best practices; and employing science-based methods, along with traditional knowledge when utilising biodiversity for economic gains. We will share more about the ABBI in the course of this meeting.
Last month, the ACB represented the GPBB as its Chair at the Bern III Conference to tackle synergies among multilateral environmental agreements and facilitated the group discussion on business engagement. Among the outcomes of the discussion is the setting up of a business and biodiversity flotilla using the communication flotilla as a possible model. It also recognised the role of MSMEs in meeting global business and biodiversity targets and encouraged more investments for capacity development and awareness raising for MSMEs. The meeting concluded that business is indeed essential in the effective implementation of the GBF as it can both impact and contribute to the realisation of its goals and targets.
Presently, the ACB is facilitating the crafting of a Regional Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan or the “ASEAN Biodiversity Plan” which seeks to scale up biodiversity actions and promote cooperation by taking into account the ASEAN’s priorities under the Global Biodiversity Framework, as they relate to the targets of other MEAs.
These welcome developments are concurrent with our collective efforts to accomplish the goals and targets of the Biodiversity Plan, particularly on mainstreaming biodiversity and strengthening cooperation with the private sector, as embodied in among others, Targets 10, 14, 15, 16, and 18. Additionally, we look forward to hearing from George Jacksch on the developments on our contribution to achieving Target 18, through the collaborative partnership on positive incentives.
Thank you very much, and I am looking forward to seeing you in other global business and biodiversity dialogues, especially at the CBD COP 16 in Cali, Colombia.
