Statement on World Bee Day-- 20 May 2025

Excellencies,

Distinguished participants,

I would like to thank FAO and the Government of Ethiopia for the invitation to speak. I would have loved to be with you.

"Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all". What a stimulating theme.

Indeed, let us be inspired and act together to fulfill the vision of living in harmony with nature, which was adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

As you are aware, the KMGBF provides a blueprint for collective action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

The 23 action targets of the KMGBF, which must be achieved by 2030, include making better use of biodiversity in agriculture, thereby enhancing pollination, pest control, soil fertility, food diversity and nutrition, among others.

Working together with nature, we can achieve those targets, but also food security and nutrition, and support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. This idea is at the heart of the theme of this year’s edition of International Day for Biological Diversity, which the world will celebrate in two days with the theme: “Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development”.

We hope that the festivities and reflections starting with World Bee Day and culminating with International Day for Biological Diversity will raise awareness of the importance of bees and, more broadly, of pollinators.

That awareness should elicit all of us to come together: policymakers, farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities, NGOs, businesses, women, youth, scientists and citizens from all walks of life.

We need a beehive of action to conserve bees and other pollinators.

Conservation and restoration are crucial and so are curbing the misuse of pesticides and creating pollinator-friendly habitats and corridors.

Sustainable agricultural practices and pollution reduction can enhance pollination functions and services in natural and agricultural ecosystems.

The stakes are high. In addition to the pollinators’ economy-wide benefits, meliponiculture and apiculture support the income of beekeepers, small holders and family farmers around the world.

Indigenous peoples and local communities, who have practiced beekeeping for thousands of years, have a key role to play, including in conserving and domesticating wild pollinators. 25 years ago, the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators (IPI) was adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity, catalyzing important progress. I thank FAO for lending support to many countries in implementing the IPI.

We at the Secretariat of the CBD value our long-standing collaboration with FAO and the Commission and are looking forward to furthering it, notably through the next steps in the establishment of a global pollinator platform.

Thank you and Happy world Bee Day!

More information:

Event Details: World Bee Day Celebration and Second International forum for action on sustainable beekeeping and pollination

Agricultural Biodiversity

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework