The Third ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity with the theme Towards 2050: Living in Harmony with Nature is co-organised by the Government of Malaysia through the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA) and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

As the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 come to an end, the world’s governments are discussing the successor to the Strategic Plan, also known as the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. This post-2020 global biodiversity framework will be agreed on at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15).

In this context, with support from the Government of Malaysia, the Conference will feature themes relevant to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework in the region; progress made by the ASEAN Member States (AMS) in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and ways forward for the region. Outputs from the Conference will feed into the region’s position on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and other relevant initiatives, as we look towards CBD COP 15 in China.

Due to the pandemic, the Conference sessions were transformed into five virtual events: Virtual Session 1: ASEAN-ACB Virtual Dialogue on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework; Virtual Session 2: Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Virtual Session 3: Transformative Change and Innovations in Biodiversity Conservation; Virtual Session 4: Business and Biodiversity; and Final Session: Towards 2050: Living in Harmony with Nature.

Past Conferences

In October 2009, the inaugural meeting of the ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity  (ACB 2009) was hosted by the Government of Singapore with the theme,  “Biodiversity in Focus: 2010 and Beyond”. The Conference was attended by over  300 key ASEAN stakeholders from the government, academe, research and  scientific community, donors, civil society and private sector, including biodiversity  experts and partners from all over the world. The Conference provided a forum for  exchanging perspectives in addressing biodiversity issues in the region and  discussing steps forward in advancing the ASEAN biodiversity agenda in the  context of meeting the 2010 Biodiversity Target of reducing the rate of biodiversity  loss. Specifically, the Conference (a) reported on the status of ASEAN biodiversity  vis-à-vis the 2010 Biodiversity Target; (b) discussed key biodiversity issues that  are important to the region, including gaps and challenges in the biodiversity  conservation efforts of ASEAN Member States (AMS); and (c) recommended the  way forward in addressing the region’s biodiversity challenges.  

Six years after the inaugural Conference, the Second ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity (ACB 2016) was held from 15 to 19 February 2016 at  the Grand Centara Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand with the theme “Biodiversity for Sustainable Development”. The Conference was participated in by over 800 delegates  from the ASEAN Member States, academic, science  and research communities; business sector; media; and international  organisations.  Supported by the Royal Thai Government, ACB2016 was organised by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) of Thailand, through the Office of  Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). It aimed to provide  a forum for exchanging perspectives on initiatives that address biodiversity issues  in the region and discussing steps forward in advancing the ASEAN biodiversity  agenda within the context of the Aichi Targets, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural  Community Blueprint 2025 and the newly adopted global mandate on the 2030  Agenda for Sustainable Development.