Background

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was opened for signature at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on June 5, 1992. Canada was the first industrialized country to sign and ratify the CBD, affixing its signature on June 11 and ratification on December 4 of the same year. The Convention came into force on December 29, 1993. There are presently 193 Parties to the CBD, 192 member states and the European Community.

The official text of the Convention is available through the CBD Clearing-House Mechanism.

Secretariat

In 1993 an Interim Secretariat was established in Geneva, Switzerland until a successful bid was made by the Government of Canada and the Province of Québec to relocate the Secretariat to Montreal, Québec in 1996, where it presently remains.

The Convention is headed by Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias who was appointed as the Executive Secretary in 2012. Mr. Dias is preceded as Executive Secretary by Ahmed Djoghlaf (2005-2012), Hamdallah Zedan (1998- 2005), Calestous Juma (1995-1998) and Angela Cropper (1993-1995).

The functions of the Secretariat as outlined in Article 24 of the Convention are:

• To arrange for and service meetings of the Conference of the Parties provided for in Article 23;
• To perform the functions assigned to it by any protocol;
• To prepare reports on the execution of its functions under this Convention and present them to the Conference of the Parties;
• To coordinate with other relevant international bodies and, in particular to enter into such administrative and contractual arrangements as may be required for the effective discharge of its functions; and
• To perform such other functions as may be determined by the Conference of the Parties.