Institute of Biodiversity Conservation

The concept of sustainability embraces young people: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. And sustainability lies at the heart of the Convention on Biological Diversity – whose objectives are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components (genes, species and ecosystems) and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples honours the contributions made by indigenous peoples to sustaining life on Earth. Indigenous peoples have a special relationship with nature in general and biodiversity in particular, which makes them crucial partners of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Indigenous peoples are stewards of the Earth’s biological diversity and their diverse cultures and languages are the pillars of humanity’s cultural diversity. This is especially true for indigenous women, who play a vital role in language transmission (mother-tongue), the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and in acting as guardians of traditional knowledge, and treasure keepers of seeds for their communities.

The Deputy Director General of the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation (IBC) welcomed all participants to the review workshop and stated that this forum will enrich the report enormously. The review workshop was opened by H.E. Dr. Tewolde Berhan G/Egziabher, Director General of Environmental Protection Authority. His excellency pointed out that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been established for the three main objectives, namely biodiversity conservation, sustainable utilization and Access and Benefit Sharing.