Convention on Biological Diversity

Madame President, Ministers and Distinguished Colleagues:

Thank you, Madame President, for hosting this roundtable. I look forward to a stimulating and productive exchange of views.

The United States recognizes the importance of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as a valuable forum for international discussions on issues related to biological diversity. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this Conference of the Parties, as we have in previous CBD deliberations, with the aim of furthering our shared goals related to biological diversity. As you may remember, the U.S. signed the Convention in 1993 and it was sent to the United States Senate for its advice and consent. The Senate has not yet acted upon the CBD. In this regard, I wish to note that the Department of State informed members of the Senate in February of this year that U.S. ratification of the Convention is being reviewed by this Administration.

The United States is committed to the objectives of the Convention, both at home and abroad. This commitment is reflected in the vibrant, ever-growing range of public and private sector programs and activities occurring throughout the United States related to protecting and sustainably using biological resources. The United States remains equally committed to assisting partner countries in their efforts to protect biodiversity through bilateral assistance, through its contributions to regional and international organizations and financial institutions, through innovative debt reduction programs such as the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, and through a broad range of other benefit-sharing programs. In particular, we are pleased to be one of the largest contributors to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and we are keenly interested in the outcome of the discussions at this Conference of the Parties on the various CBD work programs funded by the GEF.

The United States welcomes the focus of this Ministerial Roundtable on the role and contribution of the CBD to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Like conservation of biological diversity, sustainable development begins at home but requires strong international cooperation. It begins with the recognition by governments of their role in providing an enabling domestic infrastructure that makes sustainable development possible. In our view, there are five key elements in such an infrastructure:

• Effective institutions,
• Education, science and objective procedures for decision making,
• Public access to information,
• Participation by the private sector and by civil society, and
• Access to justice

This Administration is very actively engaged in preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). We believe the key to success at WSSD is to move from statements of policy to programs of implementation, from broad ideas to action-based initiatives. We believe Type 2 partnerships, forged by the shared objectives of action-oriented coalitions of public and private partners, should be emphasized. The United States is pursuing a number of Type 2 partnerships which address biodiversity. Here are a few examples:

Forests: The U.S. is committed to addressing the urgent need for the conservation and sustainable use of forest biological diversity in all types of forests, including primary forests, secondary forests and agroforestry systems. We look forward to forging collaborative partnerships to take immediate action to address illegal logging and associated illegal trade and to encourage forest law enforcement related to the unacceptable loss of forest biodiversity. In particular, we look forward to participating in efforts discussed here and at the United Nations Forum on Forests Ministerial in New York to address forest conservation issues in the critical Congo Basin area through a strengthened international partnership.

Partnerships to combat invasive alien species: The U.S. welcomes the emphasis of COP 6 on the problem of invasive alien species. This is a priority issue for the U.S., as it is for many countries present. We will continue to explore possibilities for collaborative partnerships, particularly in the context of a continuing series of regional workshops we are supporting.

White Water to Blue Water: The U.S. is developing a crosscutting initiative to promote sustainable development in the wider Caribbean region by focusing on integrated management of watersheds and marine ecosystems.

Initiatives to protect pollinators, a key to food security and ecosystem health: We invite collaboration in raising the profile of this issue at WSSD, for example, through practical training courses to be given at the proposed Sustainable Development Institute.

The United States will continue to pursue these and other partnerships as we get closer to WSSD. I very much welcome the opportunity to explore these initiatives, and other initiatives from other delegations, during our discussions here in The Hague.

Madame President, in closing I wish to thank the Government of the Netherlands for its strong commitment to the goals of the CBD and for the exceptional skill and hospitality in hosting the COP-6. The United States appreciates your leadership and your friendship. Thank you.