The Global Biodiversity Forum Cancun, Mexico 5 – 7 September 2003

Introduction

Agenda
Daily Journal
Photo Gallery
Equator Initiative Team in Cancun

Links
   - General Links
   - Official website of the 18th Global Biodiversity Forum, Cancun

Introduction

The Equator Initiative is pleased to be an organizer of the 18th Session of the Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF18-Cancun/WTO5). This session will be convened from 5-7 September 2003 in Cancun, Mexico, immediately prior to the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference on 10-14 September 2003, also in Cancun. The GBF18 will address the following three key issues: The relationship between the TRIPs Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); Risk, precaution and biosecurity; and Trade and sustainable livelihoods.

Over the past 10 years, the Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) has been regularly convened by IUCN, UNEP, WRI and the Secretariat to the Convention on Biological Diversity to provide a transparent and neutral platform for multi-stakeholder dialogues on key biodiversity-related issues. To date, 27 sessions have been held at national, regional and global levels to inform key Multilateral Environment Agreements. As a result, the GBF has emerged as an effective platform to engage a range of constituents and perspectives in strategic dialogues, and ultimately to inform biodiversity policy-related processes.

The overall objective of this session of the GBF is to provide a platform for the trade and biodiversity communities to consider how the pursuit of their respective goals and objectives might complement or hinder each other. Specifically, GBF18-Cancun aims to:

• Build greater understanding of the positive and negative impacts of the international trade agenda on biodiversity from a range of perspectives.
• Explore key issues that could lead to mutual supportiveness between international processes related to trade, biodiversity and sustainable development.
• Provide informed recommendations on biodiversity-related policies to key actors in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization.
• Build new networks and strengthen existing ones among the trade and biodiversity communities.

The timing of the GBF enables its discussions and outcomes to link directly to the current trade round. This event will help leverage and focus critical biodiversity-related inputs into the WTO process. It will also enhance the knowledge of trade linkages in the biodiversity community, allowing inputs into international biodiversity fora such as the World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, which will be held concurrently with the WTO Ministerial meeting.