Our mandate, expertise, contacts and ability to convene partners from around the globe have enabled the UN Environment Programme to help mainstream biodiversity across sectors as well as landscapes and seascapes. We play a central role in negotiating, informing and implementing a number of key Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), three of which are focused on protecting biodiversity:
- Protecting biodiversity as a whole: Convention on Biological Diversity
- Protecting any wildlife that migrates: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
- Protecting any species that are endangered: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora
In implementing these MEAs we are committed to standardising and mainstreaming the implementation of consistent policy worldwide. In support of this, the UN Environment Programme has continued to support and deliver innovative, scalable projects demonstrating how the conservation of biodiversity can lead to benefits for the environment, benefits for communities and benefits for countries.
An example of one of these projects is our project in India where 8,000 farmers are growing traditional rice varieties to help ensure crop resilience to climate change and food security for local communities.
We also work to improve biodiversity conservation in urban settings. In September 2021, in partnership with the GEF and other partners, UNEP launched UrbanShift, a new global initiative to improve lives and transform cities into green and liveable spaces that address climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Initially supporting 23 cities across Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, it seeks to use integrated approaches to urban development, directly impacting the lives of more than 58 million people.
