The Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is one of the two Conventions signed by the international community during the Earth Summit, at Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 1992. The other convention is the Convention on Climate Change. The three objectives of the CBD are:

• the conservation of biological diversity,

• the sustainable use of its components,

• the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

Some milestones about the Convention:

• Opened for signature at the "Rio Earth Summit", 5 June 1992.
• Entered into force on 29 December 1993, 90 days after the 30th ratification.
• Number of countries that have signed the Convention : 182, including Belgium.

See also:

• Convention text in English

• Convention text in French

• Convention Frequently Asked Questions (all you might want to know about the Convention)

• Biodiversity Frequently Asked Questions (all you might want to know about biodiversity)

• Ratification process of the Convention in Burkina Faso

• National and regional documents related to the Convention