16 May 2022 
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea On May 16, 2022, our ambassador Abiba Issa Moussa participated in a conference organized by her university in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, as part of Biodiversity Week. This conference was an opportunity for Abiba to present the draft Global Pact for the Environment to many professors and students.
The environmental crisis we are experiencing is often referred to as the ‘triple planetary crisis’. This refers to the three major issues facing the planet: climate change, pollution and the decline of biodiversity. On this last point, the latest figures from the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) -the equivalent of the IPCC for biodiversity- are worrying.
Scientists estimate that more than one million (out of 8 million) animal and plant species are in danger of extinction, that 500,000 terrestrial species no longer have a habitat that would allow their long-term survival, that 75% of terrestrial environments are “severely altered” by human activity, that 33% of edible fish species are overfished or even that 50% of the expansion of agricultural land is at the expense of the forest.
In this context, Abiba’s presentation explained how the introduction of an international legal instrument such as the Global Pact for the Environment could contribute to the fight against the collapse of biodiversity. The right to biodiversity is indeed an important part of the right to a healthy environment, article 1 of the Pact, whose recognition we are defending at the United Nations General Assembly.
Abiba’s presentation was a great success. The national television of Equatorial Guinea then offered her to do an interview on the subject of the Pact, to present its stakes and current events.
This interview was finally conducted by our Executive Director, Victoria Lichet, on May 30th and allowed her to present to a large audience the project of the Pact and the need for all to mobilize for environmental rights.
