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Decision COP 16/19

CBD/COP/DEC/16/19

Biodiversity and health

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling its decisions XII/21 of 17 October 2014, XIII/6 of 17 December 2016, 14/4 of 22 November 2018 and 15/29 of 19 December 2022,

Recalling also that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework acknowledges the interlinkages between biodiversity and health and the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity,

Recalling further the framework for a cross-cutting initiative on biodiversity for food and nutrition, adopted by the Conference of the Parties in its decision VIII/23 of 31 March 2006,

Recognizing that the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will contribute to the improvement of health and well-being, including physical and mental health, by addressing drivers of biodiversity loss, which are often also drivers of ill health, and noting the information available in document CBD/SBSTTA/26/INF/3,

Noting that the term “health” is defined in the Constitution of the World Health Organization as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,

Recognizing the important role of education and awareness-raising for mainstreaming biodiversity and health interlinkages through the One Health approach and a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,

Welcoming the participation of the Quadripartite alliance on One Health in the preparation of the draft global action plan on biodiversity and health, while acknowledging the importance of maintaining consistency with existing mandates,

Noting the ongoing work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on the thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health, 

Taking note of the options to integrate biodiversity into the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) stimulus and recovery measures, as contained in document CBD/SBSTTA/26/INF/3 and in the manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19 of the World Health Organization,

Noting the importance given to biodiversity and health interlinkages by other organizations and initiatives, including the United Nations Environment Assembly through its resolution 5.6 on biodiversity and health, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  and the Paris Agreement  through relevant decisions, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues  and the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste,  as well as the current negotiations held at the World Health Organization on a new accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response,

Considering the importance of cooperation with other multilateral environment agreements and relevant organizations and initiatives to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health interlinkages and the need to avoid the duplication of efforts,

Operational Active

1. Adopts the Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health, as contained in the annex to the present decision, as a voluntary plan for supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, complementary to the guidance contained in decisions XIII/6, 14/4 and 15/29;

Informational

2. Takes note of document CBD/SBSTTA/26/8 on biodiversity and health, in particular enclosures I and II to its annex I and its annex II;

Operational Active Parties

3. Encourages Parties, in accordance with national circumstances and priorities and on a voluntary basis:

Operational Active Parties

(a) To implement the Global Action Plan when mainstreaming biodiversity and health interlinkages and to provide information on their implementing activities and the result thereof, including in national reports, as appropriate;

Operational Active Parties

(b) To enhance national coordination, knowledge exchange, implementation and the sharing of good practices and lessons learned among biodiversity and health actors, including those working in human, animal, plant and ecosystem health, the environmental sector and traditional medicine systems, and to work comprehensively with health and health-related agencies and professionals at the national level, including through the designation of a national focal point on biodiversity and health, as appropriate;

Operational Active Parties

(c) To ensure the full and effective participation of youth in decision-making and action on biodiversity and health;

Operational Active Parties

(d) To integrate biodiversity and health interlinkages into biodiversity-related policies and programmes, in line with decision 14/4, and, if appropriate, into their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, taking the elements of the Global Action Plan into account, in line with section C of the Framework;

Operational Active Parties

(e) To recognize the need to address the drivers of biodiversity loss urgently so as to reduce risks to health, while contributing to the implementation of the Framework, in particular paragraph 7 (r) of section C and Target 14;

Operational Active Government(s) Indigenous peoples and local communities International organizations

4. Invites other Governments, the governing bodies and secretariats of relevant multilateral environment and health agreements and international organizations, including the members of the Quadripartite alliance on One Health, to raise awareness of the Global Action Plan, to contribute to mainstreaming biodiversity and health interlinkages across sectors, respecting self-determined national priorities, and to further support the development and implementation of measures, guidance and tools for promoting and supporting the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health linkages;

Operational Active Indigenous peoples and local communities Stakeholder(s) Women Youth

5. Invites indigenous peoples and local communities, relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and academia, women, children and youth to contribute to the implementation of the Global Action Plan; 

Operational Active World Health Organization (WHO)

6. Invites the World Health Organization to take synergies into account, as appropriate, in its work on biodiversity and health undertaken pursuant to its fourteenth General Global Programme of Work, 2025–2028, as well as resolutions of the World Health Assembly related to One Health and to environmental determinants of health, and the work undertaken under the Convention on Biological Diversity;

Operational Active Parties Government(s) Relevant organizations Donors

7. Encourages Parties, in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention, and invites other Governments, relevant multilateral environmental and health agreements, relevant organizations, donors and relevant financial institutions to provide financial and technical support, as appropriate, for capacity-building and development for the effective implementation of biodiversity and health interlinkages and of the Global Action Plan;

Operational Active Parties Government(s) Relevant organizations

8. Invites Parties, other Governments, relevant multilateral environmental agreements and other organizations to share measures, guidance and tools, examples, best practices and lessons learned in the implementation of the Global Action Plan and the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health interlinkages at all levels;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

9. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources:

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

(a) To complete the work conducted pursuant to paragraph 13 (a) of decision 14/4 on the development of integrated science-based indicators, metrics and progress measurement tools on biodiversity and health, taking account of section III, including its paragraph 14, of the annex to the present decision, among others;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Private sector Indigenous peoples and local communities Youth Women

(b) To facilitate, in collaboration with partners, capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer activities to support Parties, indigenous peoples and local communities and stakeholders, such as relevant organizations, academia, women, children, youth, the elderly and persons with disabilities, in the uptake and implementation of the Global Action Plan, including by convening regional workshops and facilitating dialogues, ensuring the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, in collaboration with, inter alia, members of the Quadripartite alliance on One Health and the secretariats of other multilateral environmental agreements;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

(c) To continue to raise awareness at all levels, including through relevant processes of other multilateral environmental agreements and intergovernmental bodies, of the important interlinkages between biodiversity and health, including their relevance to the implementation of the Framework;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

(d) To enhance and strengthen cooperation with international organizations and the secretariats of other multilateral environmental, health and human rights agreements with regard to biodiversity and health interlinkages, consistent with international obligations;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity World Health Organization (WHO)

(e) To explore, in consultation with the World Health Organization and the other members of the Quadripartite alliance on One Health, the development of an online information platform to collate knowledge, tools and experiences on interlinked biodiversity and health policies and actions, including case studies, indicators, assessments and methodologies, in order to facilitate knowledge-sharing and capacity-building for integration of the One Health approach, thereby further supporting the implementation of the Global Action Plan;

Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity SBSTTA

(f) To report on the outcomes of that work to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at a meeting held before the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and to the World Health Assembly at its seventy-ninth meeting. 

Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-16
Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
21 Oct - 1 Nov, 2024
Cali, Colombia

GBF targets
40
Related decisions / recommendations
XII/21
Biodiversity and human health
XIII/6
Biodiversity and human health
14/4
Health and biodiversity
15/29
Biodiversity and health
VIII/23
Agricultural biodiversity
VIII/6
Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public Awareness:  overview of implementation of the programme of work and options to advance future work