What is the issue?
The ASEAN region is one of the most biodiversity-rich regions of the world which comprises 3% of Earth's land mass but is home to 20% of all the world's biodiversity. The webinar is a follow-up to the first webinar held on 16 May 2022, which aimed to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of sustainable trade in biodiversity-based products, and particularly BioTrade in the ASEAN region.
Furthermore, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) negotiated under the auspices of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) was adopted in Montreal Canada in 2022. This will entail a whole-of-society approach and mobilizes all sectors and actors, including those related to trade in biodiversity-based products. The crucial challenge will be on how the framework will be implemented and monitored to meet the goals and targets, particularly by halting and reversing biodiversity loss. The ASEAN region will need to navigate how to mainstream biodiversity conservation into trade as well as streamlining with the new ASEAN Vision 2040.
How will this event address the issue?
The aim of this webinar is to showcase the assessment to what extent and in what way biodiversity conservation is currently mainstreamed into trade in the ASEAN region, focusing on Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. This will provide the opportunity to discuss with the panelists and participants on how to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts in trade in the ASEAN in support of the GBF. Trade in biodiversity-based products, if done sustainably, can support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, while generating income to actors involved in the value chain, particularly rural communities.
What will take place?
Following up on the first event held in May 2022, the topics to be discussed at the webinar include:
- Overview of the GBF in the ASEAN region, key issues, challenges and opportunities for its implementation
- Presentation of the study “Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation into Trade In ASEAN, How to turn the tide?” which examines how BioTrade may be further adapted and/or integrated into these initiatives within the context of the ASEAN regional policy action. It also demonstrates how to adapt in policies, incentives, and sustainable standards within the ASEAN region can contribute to address biodiversity conservation in trade, building on the experiences of Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam.
- Presentation of the Trade and Biodiversity (TraBio) statistical tool which can be a key mechanism for the implementation of GBF and monitoring of bilateral and global trade flows of biodiversity-based products in the ASEAN region.
- Views from regional and national experts on enhancing of biodiversity conservation efforts in and mainstreaming biodiversity conservation/BioTrade into trade.
This webinar is organised as part of the Global BioTrade Programme “Linking trade, biodiversity and sustainable development” with the financial support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. This is also being supported by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and Helvetas.
Target audience:
This virtual webinar is open to everyone interested in the issue of trade and biodiversity in the ASEAN region, particularly focal agencies of the ASEAN Working Groups (AWG), including the AWG on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, AWG on Forest Products Development (AWG-FPD) and the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME), and their partners and stakeholders.
