South Sudan has reaffirmed its commitment to global biodiversity conservation and the implementation of international environmental agreements during ...
South Sudan has reaffirmed its commitment to global biodiversity conservation and the implementation of international environmental agreements during the high-level segment of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.The South Sudanese delegation was led by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Agnes Adlino Orifa Oswaha, representing the Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Cecilia Adut Manyok Adeng.The delegation, which attended the conference on Oct. 28-29, included the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Joseph Africano Bartel, ministry experts and youth representatives.In her keynote address, Oswaha reaffirmed South Sudan’s commitment to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), emphasizing the importance of international cooperation, effective implementation and sustainable financing to achieve global biodiversity targets.She highlighted South Sudan’s rich natural heritage, particularly the Boma-Badingilo-Jonglei landscape, which hosts the world’s largest land mammal migration and has been designated the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.Oswaha also outlined the country’s efforts to strengthen biodiversity governance, including the ongoing revision of its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, accession to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, and membership in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).On biodiversity financing, she highlighted efforts to develop a Biodiversity Finance Plan through the United Nations Development Programme’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN). The initiative aims to integrate biodiversity considerations into national budgeting and promote green employment opportunities beyond the oil sector.She also emphasized the importance of equitable benefit-sharing from digital sequence information, calling for the effective operationalization of the Cali Fund and the establishment of a dedicated biodiversity financing mechanism under the authority of the Conference of the Parties.The undersecretary further called for stronger international partnerships in capacity-building, technology transfer and institutional development to support conservation efforts.She highlighted the government's commitment to protecting wildlife, preserving forests and promoting environmentally responsible oil production, among other environmental priorities.Oswaha also stressed the need for greater coordination among the Rio Conventions and other multilateral environmental agreements to strengthen responses to biodiversity loss, climate change, land degradation and challenges affecting sustainable livelihoods.In her concluding remarks, she urged the international community to accelerate collective action toward achieving the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.She said stronger international cooperation and decisive implementation were essential to addressing gaps in global progress, reaffirming South Sudan’s readiness to contribute to international efforts to protect biodiversity and promote a future in which humanity lives in harmony with nature.
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