Biodiversity Opportunities in LAC: The Role of the IDB


Biodiversity Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Role of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Date: July 28th 2006 - 9:00 - 5:00

Location: Enrique V Iglesias Conference Center CR-2

In 2002, ten years after the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), member countries acknowledged that the rate of biodiversity loss was still accelerating and that in order to reduce this loss, threats to biodiversity must be addressed. For these reasons, the sixth Conference of the Parties of the CBD adopted a Strategic Plan in which parties committed themselves to a more effective and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the CBD in order to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss on Earth.

The 2010 target was subsequently endorsed by the Heads of State at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. Similarly, in 2005, the world leaders reiterated their commitment to meeting the 2010 target at the World Summit of the United Nations. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) also commits countries to reduce biodiversity loss and this initiative is supported by the IDB s Medium-Term Action Plan for Development Effectiveness.

Achieving the 2010 target is ambitious but success is vital. The IDB is aware of the importance of achieving this target. It is committed to supporting biodiversity investments as a contribution to poverty alleviation and for the benefit of all life in the Latin America and Caribbean region. In 2005, in response to the recommendations of a group of high-level experts known as the Blue Ribbon Panel, the IDB agreed on the importance of increasing lending in biodiversity. Consequently, in 2006 the Inter-American Development Bank will be developing an action plan on Biodiversity. This workshop will contribute to the development of this initiative.

The main purpose of this workshop is to define the key biodiversity issues and trends and the role of the IDB in supporting biodiversity priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean.


The main objective of this workshop is twofold:


Agenda

Last updated: 04/20/07