The world has been celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity, on 22nd May annually since the Convention on Biological Diversity entered into force in 1993.

This day is an opportunity to draw attention to the need to protect biological diversity, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, protect genetic differences and intensify international efforts to achieve fair and equitable use of environmental wealth in such a way as to contribute to its preservation for future generations.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) seizes this occasion to stress the importance of adopting a comprehensive and ambitious approach likely to contribute to building a more sustainable future at the environmental, social and economic levels. ICESCO urges Islamic world countries and the international community to:
• Incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem conservation into countries’ strategic planning processes;
• Promote environmental culture through the engagement of youth and women;
• Exchange knowledge, techniques and good practices related to biodiversity conservation;
• Foster the use of modern technologies and their various applications to develop biodiversity knowledge;
• Mobilize the necessary financial resources to carry out research and studies in this field.

In the same vein, ICESCO recalls that the preservation of biological diversity is a necessity to preserve human life and health as the degradation of ecosystems may result in the extinction of more than one million plant and animal species, and threatens to undermine 80% of the Sustainable Development Goals.