Background and objective
In December 2022, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted at its Fifteenth meeting (COP15) the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), which sets out the targets and tools for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the decades to come. In the closing session of COP15, Parties and other stakeholders welcomed this landmark agreement and called for its urgent implementation.
With this perspective, the organisations listed below established in the margin of COP15 the Biodiversity Innovation Coalition (BIC) which provides a platform for collaboration between the BIC members in their contributions to the implementation of the KM-GBF, and in their interaction with other stakeholders.
Bearing in mind the KM-GBF’s recognition of the critical role of science, technology and innovation, the BIC focuses on developing and promoting evidence-based, innovative solutions to improve the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
The BIC covers many areas and disciplines. Consistent with article 16 of the CBD, several members focus on biotechnology as a tool for sustainability, because biological processes are by their very nature circular.
Membership and activities
The founding members of the BIC are the Alliance for Science (AfS), BioTrust-International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (BioTrust-ISAAA), the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) and Youth Biotech (YB).
Given the many indications of interest in the BIC, including from farming organisations such as Farming Future Bangladesh and the Spanish Young Farmer Association (ASAJA), the BIC invites other science, technology and innovation oriented organisations to join the BIC initiative.
Joining the BIC means being informed about and involved in the development and promotion of innovative solutions for the implementation of the KM-GBF. The first phase of BIC’s activities will focus on preparing for and participating in the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16, 2024, Türkiye), when the COP will take stock of the implementation of the KM-GBF.
For the time being, the contribution of the members to the BIC will be in-kind. After COP16, the BIC members will discuss whether and how to expand the activities of the BIC and resource requirements.
Organisational Matters
BIC’s internal rules and tools for outreach are under development.
Original: https://prri.net/the-biodiversity-innovation-coalition