Convention on Biodiversity

History of the convention

     In 1987, IUCN (The World Conservation Union) issued a draft Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which, later in 1992, had been open for signature and received 157 signatures. Soon after, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) had been held during 5-14 June 1992, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By this, the CBD had been open for signature until 4 June 1993, bringing the numbers of signatures up to 167. European Union was also a signatory to the convention.

The objectives of the Convention

The three fundamental objectives of the convention are:

     the conservation of biological diversity
     the sustainable use of component of biological diversity
     the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources

Among biological scientists and international lawyers, it is agreeable that the CBD is the first international agreement of its kinds that covers all aspects of biodiversity conservation— species, genes and ecosystems.