ISD Envoy, Dotse seeks collaboration with Secretariat of Biological Diversity

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The International Society of Diplomats’ (ISD) African Special Envoy on Climate Change, Dr. Samuel Dotse has expressed his desire for collaboration and partnership with the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada.

Dotse made the call during a courtesy visit to the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Canada on April 25, 2023.

 

The courtesy call was to engage the Secretariat on key issues affecting Africa’s natural resources, explore areas of collaboration.

Dotse said the partnership will bring technical and financial means that would enhance the well-being of African people, especially women and youth.

He also commended the leadership of the Secretariat for their work in ensuring the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted.

According to Dr. Dotse “ the Secretariat, particularly Mr. Neil Pratt, Senior Environmental Affairs Officer, and Ms. Veronique Allan, Team Assistant in Science, Society, and Sustainable Division are all working to ensure the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework especially during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties held from December 7–19, 2022, in Montreal, Canada, under the presidency of the People’s Republic of China.”

He also applauded them on the establishment of the global biodiversity fund.

Dr. Dotse noted that the conventions on biological diversity and climate change had a collective goal to take action to protect the natural resources that human beings depended on for their survival.

“ Africa suffers from the devastating impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss and has clearly recognized the need for urgent and rapid action.

“The time had come to transform economic systems and human behavior,” he added.

He stated that the newly adopted framework will set the global biodiversity action agenda for the next decade and provide a programming framework for Africa to restore degraded lands and ecosystems, halt biodiversity loss, and boost resilience in the coming years.

He proposed that “the Secretariat should consider the International Society of Diplomats, especially the Office of the African Special Envoy on Climate Change, as partners, including supporting African governments to mainstream biodiversity into government and business decision-making.

“ Signing a cooperation agreement with the Secretariat covering areas of collaboration and interventions for cities, the private sector, and third-party organizations will be deeply appreciated,” he said.

He assured the Secretariat of his support to promote nature-based solutions and the climate mitigation and adaptation agenda, while encouraging governments to scale up nature-based solutions for mitigation, resilience, and adaptation in key areas to ensure people’s livelihoods in the face of climate threats, and increase and mainstream nature-based solutions within national governance.

Ms. Veronique Allan expressed her appreciation to De. Dotse for the courtesy call and commended the ISD’s willingness to partner with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in halting biodiversity loss.

She supported the idea of collaboration between the private sector and cities and assured that the Secretariat would provide feedback to the ISD office in Toronto on the work of the Secretariat.

In conclusion, Mr. Neil Pratt congratulated the ISD for the initiative to partner with the Convention on Biological Diversity and looks forward to a regular interaction towards addressing biodiversity loss and climate change.

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