ICC Policy Statement: Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework

Key messages:

1. ICC stands ready to support a successful fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Kunming, China in October 2020 at which 196 governments are expected to negotiate and adopt a new post-2020 global framework for biodiversity (Post-2020 Framework).

2. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment report released in May 2019 clearly indicates the need for decisive action and the adoption of an ambitious Post-2020 Framework.

3. ICC recognises the urgency of addressing continuing global biodiversity loss and supports the CBD 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with nature” and the Post-2020 theme “Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”.

4. ICC – as the institutional representative of 45 million companies worldwide – calls on governments to ensure that the Post-2020 Framework is ambitious and based on the latest science. The Post-2020 Framework should also seek to raise awareness on the interdependency of people and nature, foster broad multi-stakeholder participation, encourage economic and financial incentives to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity, be aligned with other related UN conventions and the Sustainable Development Goals, and support and enable strong commitments to its implementation.

5. Together with 13 partners, ICC launched Business for Nature, a global coalition calling for action to reverse nature loss and restore the planet’s vital natural systems. ICC is working with its partners in the coalition to bring a united business voice to this vital international discussion to help deliver solutions that will effectively address the challenges of biodiversity loss and promote sustainable use of the world’s biological resources. This ICC Policy Statement will contribute to this effort.