Public Webinar:
"Exploring the Interconnections between Human Rights, Biodiversity,
and Sustainable Development in Asia"
Register
Date: 22 May 2025
Time: 3.00 PM ICT Time
Platforms: Zoom and Youtube
Organisers: UN Human Rights and Women4Biodiversity
Overview:
Biodiversity and human rights are closely linked and interdependent. The full enjoyment of many human rights depends on healthy ecosystems; at the same time, effective biodiversity policies depend on the exercise of human rights, including rights to information and participation, and require taking into account the rights of those who live in protected areas or who are otherwise directly affected by the policies. On October 11, 2024, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution "Biodiversity and Human Rights" (A/HRC/RES/57/28), acknowledging the strong link between biodiversity and human rights. This resolution recognizes that the loss of biodiversity and the decline in ecosystem services can negatively impact the enjoyment of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. These adverse effects, both direct and indirect, hinder the effective enjoyment of all human rights and compromise the needs and interests of future generations.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 22 as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2025 is “Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development”. This theme seeks to focus the world’s attention on the linkages between the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Goals and Targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
This public webinar aims to explore the critical intersections between these three essential areas, highlighting how the protection of biodiversity is intrinsically linked to the realization of human rights and sustainable development. By examining these connections, we hope to foster a deeper understanding and inspire action towards integrated approaches that benefit both people and the planet.
Objectives:
Raise Awareness: To increase public understanding of the connections between biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use and human rights: To bolster public awareness of the centrality of biodiversity to all life on Earth, including for addressing socioeconomic challenges such as poverty and inequality that are covered by the full set of SDGs as well as the centrality of human rights to effective, sustainable and equitable biodiversity action.
Promote Dialogue: To foster a platform for discussion among experts, activists, and the general public on the challenges and opportunities at this intersection.
Encourage Action:
To inspire participants to engage in and advocate for policies and practices that protect both human rights and biodiversity.
To call for the rapid preparation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) that are (a) aligned with the KMGBF, including a human rights-based approach, and (b) integrated into National Sustainable Development Strategies guided by the SDGs.
Key Topics:
Linkages between SDGs and the Goals and Targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF): Exploring how the KMGBF, including a human rights-based approach, links to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.
Legal Frameworks and Policies: Reviewing international and national laws that protect biodiversity and human rights, the human rights-based approach to NBSAPs and discussing their implementation and effectiveness.
Case Studies: Presenting real-world examples from Asia of successful initiatives that have simultaneously advanced human rights and biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use.
Speakers:
