BSL organises virtual dialogue to mark World Environment Day

In commemorating World Environment Day (WED), which falls today, Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL), in collaboration with its Initiating Partner - Dilmah Conservation (DC) and Associate Member - the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will host a virtual dialogue on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the Role of Business on June 9th.

 The dialogue will be based on this year’s theme – Biodiversity - as designated by the United Nations, and will feature international and local experts including Dr. Markus Lehmann, Senior Programme Management Officer, UN Environment and the Head of the Economic Policy Unit, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) joining in from Montreal, Canada, Gerard Bos, Director, Business and Biodiversity Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature joining in from Gland, Switzerland, and several other leaders in business and sustainability from Sri Lanka. 

The experts will engage in a discussion on how Sri Lankan businesses have a role in supporting the country to achieve its goals within the framework, drawing examples of best practices and lessons learnt from around the world. The role of businesses in conserving biodiversity and how these actions will contribute towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals will also be debated.

 The COVID-19 global pandemic has shown us how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world. Recovery from this crisis must also lead to countries uniting to conserve the natural world and its biodiversity, in line with global commitments to achieve a better future for all people and the planet. 2020 is in fact a significant year for biodiversity. 

With one million plant and animal species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on the issue. 2020 is also a critical year for nations’ commitments to conserving and restoring biodiversity, with it being the year for reviewing the achievement and delivery of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 of the CBD. It is also anticipated that in 2020, the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework – the road map to overcoming biodiversity loss and utilising it sustainably - will be finalised, together with decisions on related topics including capacity building and resource mobilisation. Next year also provides an opportunity to ramp up to the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), intended to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity.

 As Sri Lanka’s only nationally recognised private sector network focusing on mainstreaming biodiversity in business, BSL together with the UNDP and DC, will lead the dialogue, ensuring business participation and commitment by the Sri Lankan private sector to support the Government of Sri Lanka, in working towards the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.  The event is open to all and will be held at 17:00hrs IST. For further queries contact [email protected].