Today, Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) under a global theme, “From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity”.

The United Nations General Assembly in December 2000, adopted May 22 as IDB to honor the adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) says to commemorate CBD, it will today (May 22, 2023) have a restoration exercise in Mabira Forest.
Ms Naomi Karekaho, the spokesperson of Nema has revealed that they plan to plant over 1,000 trees by the end of business today.
“It’s basically a journey to restore nature, and this year the theme is to restore nature indeed. So in this regard together with National Forestry Authority (NFA) and many other stakeholders, we are planting more than 1,000 trees in degraded areas of Mabira Forest,” she said.

 Among the 196 countries that are party to CBD, Uganda ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on September 8, 1993, and it was domesticated on December 29, 1993.
In his message for this year’s IDB commemoration, Mr David Cooper, the Acting Secretary of the convention of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has implored governments and businesses across the globe to formulate policies that will ensure the implementation of objectives of the COP 15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (agreement) to halt biodiversity loss.

“Governments, businesses, consumers we all have a role to play in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (agreement). Governments need to develop national targets to align with the targets and goals of the framework,” he said, adding that it would clean the air and water, ensure food security, limit zoonotic diseases and help achieve the global vision of living in Harmony with nature by 2050.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) 2016 Frontiers’ report, alerted the world on zoonotic diseases which jump from animals to humans, accounting for 60 percent of all human infectious diseases. Four years later, the Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world, snuffing millions of lives as well as crippling economies across the globe.

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