Communication, Education & Public Awareness

Why is CEPA important?

Implementing the Convention and realizing its core objectives requires the involvement of an active and informed citizenry, who are educated as to the relevance of biodiversity to their lives. In this respect, communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) are core components of any national and international implementation strategy. Given the complex nature of biodiversity science and policy, the task is to find elegant and straightforward explanations on the relevance of biodiversity, and the work of the Convention, to the daily lives of citizens and stakeholders around the world.

Faced with this complexity, the Conference of the Parties (COP) has increasingly turned to practical approaches for CEPA, with a focus on the implementation of a limited number of targeted instruments and campaigns that can act as pilot initiatives. From these experiences, national and regional programmes will be created. Toolkits, workshops and activities are part of this.

One of the main instruments for CEPA is the International Day for Biological Diversity, which is celebrated every year on 22 May.

Further information is available through the following sections: