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Recalling decisions XIII/3, in which it considered the mainstreaming of biodiversity in the sectors of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism as well as cross-cutting issues, and in which it decided to address, at its fourteenth meeting, the mainstreaming of biodiversity into the sectors of energy and mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing, and health,
Recognizing that the health sector, on the one hand, depends on biodiversity and the ecosystem functions and services that biodiversity underpins, and that the loss of biodiversity can impact the health sector negatively, and that, on the other hand, the health sector has potential impacts on biodiversity which may threaten the provision of ecosystem functions and services that are vital to humanity,
Stressing that mainstreaming biodiversity in the health sector is essential for halting the loss of biodiversity and for the achievement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20201 and the goals and objectives of different multilateral agreements and international processes, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals,2
Recognizing that, while policies and tools exist to address the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, there are still opportunities to mainstream biodiversity in the health sector, including in relation to strategic planning, decision-making and, economy-wide and sector-wide policies,
Recalling decision XIII/6 on health and biodiversity and the importance of this decision to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,
Welcoming United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 3/4 on environment and health,
Noting the reports issued by the Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization entitled Urban Green Spaces and Health: A Review of Evidence (2016) and Urban Green Space Interventions and Health: A Review of Impacts and Effectiveness (2017),
Acknowledging that consideration of health-biodiversity linkages can contribute to improving several aspects of human health and well-being, including through the prevention and reduction of both infectious and non-communicable diseases, and by supporting nutrition and healthy diets,
Also acknowledging the importance of conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and of traditional knowledge for the health of indigenous peoples and local communities,
Recognizing the importance of the human microbiome for human health, and the importance of biodiverse green spaces in urban environments, protected areas and their physiological and psychological benefits, and further highlighting the importance of ecosystem-based approaches for the delivery of multiple benefits,
Acknowledging that accessible biodiverse green spaces can enhance human health benefits by providing contact with nature, including for children and the elderly,
Noting the opportunities to contribute to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in particular Target 14, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, through the mainstreaming of health-biodiversity linkages into relevant sectors and initiatives, including those for health, environment, agriculture, finance, nutrition and food security, food safety, planning (including urban planning), climate change mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction,
Highlighting, in this respect, the importance of all dimensions and components of biodiversity, including plants, animals and micro-organisms, and the interactions among them, as well as their genetic resources and the ecosystems of which they are part,
1.Welcomes the consideration of the interlinkages between human health and biodiversity by the Seventy-first World Health Assembly;3
2.Welcomes the Guidance on integrating biodiversity considerations into One Health approaches, among other holistic approaches, recognizes the importance of ecosystem-based approaches for the delivery of multiple benefits to health and well-being and encourages Parties, and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to make use of the guidance, in accordance with national circumstances;
3.Invites Parties and other Governments to consider integrating One Health policies, plans or projects, and other holistic approaches in their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and, as appropriate, national health plans, and other instruments including those under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction, to jointly support the implementation of the Convention, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other relevant global commitments;
4.Invites Parties, other Governments and other relevant stakeholders to consider gender-differentiated impacts and responses in the integration of biodiversity and health linkages in their policies, plans and actions;
5.Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations and cooperation agencies to support capacity-building for the efficient and effective use of the Guidance on integrating biodiversity considerations into One Health approaches, among other holistic approaches;
6.Encourages Parties to promote dialogue among ministries and agencies responsible for the sectors of health (including domestic animal and wildlife health), environment, pollution (such as marine plastic debris), pesticides, antimicrobial resistance, agriculture, nutrition and food security, food safety, planning (including urban planning), climate change adaptation and mitigation and disaster risk reduction, to foster integrated approaches, with a view to enhancing implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20201 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including by mainstreaming biodiversity and health linkages such as those contained in the annex to decision XIII/6 into existing and future policies, plans and strategies, as appropriate;
7.Encourages Parties, and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to share their experience on implementing the Guidance on integrating biodiversity considerations in One Health approaches, among other holistic approaches, including through the clearing-house mechanism;
8.Invites Parties and other Governments, and relevant organizations to further develop communication, education and public awareness tools on the importance for public health of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem-based approaches, with a view to mainstreaming biodiversity and developing biodiversity-inclusive One Health policies, plans and programmes, among other holistic approaches, in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
9.Encourages Parties, and other Governments and relevant stakeholders, in accordance with their national capacities and circumstances, priorities and regulations:
(a)To provide, where appropriate, effective incentives to mainstream biodiversity in the health sector, consistent with international obligations,
(b)To promote and strengthen best practices on sustainable consumption and production implemented in the health sectors that favour conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;
(c)To make efforts to review, adjust and improve biodiversity-health linkages in the environmental assessment of relevant projects;
10.Invites the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and other relevant organizations to consider ecosystem-based approaches in their efforts to strengthen the prevention of ill health;
(a)To support the implementation of the present decision and decision XIII/6 in cooperation with other relevant partners;
(b)To further support the development and implementation of measures, guidance and tools for promoting and supporting the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health linkages in the health sector, and to consider establishing a regular reporting mechanism for the progress of activities on biodiversity and health under the joint work programme of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Health Organization;
12.Invites donor and funding agencies in a position to do so to provide financial assistance for country-driven projects that address cross-sectoral mainstreaming of biodiversity and health when requested by developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries among them, including small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition;
13. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of financial resources, and invites the World Health Organization, in collaboration, as appropriate, with other members of the Inter-Liaison Group on Biodiversity and Health as well as other partners:
(a)To develop integrated science-based indicators, metrics and progress measurements tools on biodiversity and health;
(b)To develop targeted messaging approaches on mainstreaming biodiversity for the health sector, including as part of the delivery on the global communication strategy and messaging approaches as set out in decision XII/2;
(c)To develop a draft global action plan to mainstream biodiversity and health linkages into national policies, strategies, programmes and accounts, in order to further support Parties in the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health linkages, building upon decision XIII/6 and the guidance on integrating biodiversity considerations into One Health approaches, among other holistic approaches;4
14.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, and invites the World Health Organization and other members of the Inter-agency Liaison Group on Biodiversity and Health, and other partners, as appropriate, to collaborate:
(a)To promote and facilitate dialogues on biodiversity-health approaches with relevant national, regional and subregional stakeholders, and organizations, as appropriate, in order to assist Parties in developing strategies to mainstream biodiversity-health linkages effectively through holistic approaches;
(b)To co-convene further regional and subregional capacity-building workshops on issues related to health and biodiversity in all regions;
(c)To compile information on relevant research, experiences and best practices on the microbiome and human health, and on the design, management and implementation of production systems based on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and traditional knowledge and the corresponding benefits to nutrition and healthy diets, particularly, but not restricted to, vulnerable and marginalized sectors;
(d)To explore a mechanism that would facilitate access to, regularly update, synthesize and disseminate scientific literature and other reports on health and biodiversity, with a view to supporting the development of good practice guidance;