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Synthetic Biology is considered as a key emerging technology. Globally regulating risks in Synthetic Biology is a contentious issue. Discussions on regulating Synthetic Biology and it's relevance for various treaties, conventions and protocols are on going in many fora, convened under, inter alia, Convention on Biological Diversity. Given it's ramifications, such discussions are inevitable. Regulating biosafety and biosecurity, and, liability for harm are key themes on which discussions are being held. This article describes these developments and their importance. In India the XII th Five Year Plan considered harnessing synthetic biology for national development and regulating it. India has a biotechnology regulatory regime. But develop a robust policy for synthetic biology, foresight and analysis are needed. The global developments on regulating synthetic biology are relevant for development and regulation of synthetic biology in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 70th Session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is expected to adopt the Post 2015 Development Agenda that includes a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015. For the first time, biodiversity finds a prominent spot amongst the draft SDGs which is seen as a signal from the member states that they have recognized the important role of ecosystems and biodiversity in achieving sustainable development. This paper provides an overview of key issues and challenges related to the two biodiversity Goals besides suggesting a series of actions at national and global levels to achieve these Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)of United Nations, as of July 2015. They state significance of the Stockholm Conference of 1972 in sustainable development and mention role of the BRICS countries in SDG. They note that the SDG was introduced following the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and mention challenges associated with transition of MDGs to SDG.

One of the significant roadblocks in negotiations and implementation of multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) is that of resource mobilisation. During the eleventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP 11) held in 2012, Parties to the CBD agreed to develop a roadmap for raising adequate and predictable finances for realising the Strategic Plan of the CBD. By 2015, Parties need to develop resource mobilisation frameworks with a focus on realising finances using innovative approaches and models. A series of consultations, expert studies are already prepared to provide inputs for innovative financing options at national level. This article focuses on using the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) frameworks at national level as an innovative financing option and suggests ways of raising finances for conservation action and effective implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight conventions make up the biodiversity cluster of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) that provide the critical international legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of nature. However, concerns about the rate of implementation of the conventions at the national level have triggered discussions about the effectiveness of these MEAs in halting the loss of biodiversity. Two main concerns have emerged: lack of capacity and resources and lack of coherence in implementing multiple conventions. We focused on the latter and considered the mechanisms by which international conventions are translated into national policy. Specifically, we examined how the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the associated Aichi Biodiversity Targets have functioned as a unifying grand plan for biodiversity conservation. This strategic plan has been used to coordinate and align targets to promote and enable more effective implementation across all biodiversity‐related conventions. Results of a survey of 139 key stakeholders from 88 countries suggests streamlining across ministries and agencies, improved coordination mechanisms with all relevant stakeholders, and better knowledge sharing between conventions could improve cooperation among biodiversity‐related conventions. The roadmap for improving synergies among conventions agreed to at the 13th Convention on Biological Diversity's Conference of Parties in 2016 includes actions such as mechanisms to avoid duplication in national reporting and monitoring on conventions and capacity building related to information and knowledge sharing. We suggest the scientific community can actively engage and contribute to the policy process by establishing a science‐policy platform to address knowledge gaps; improving data gathering, reporting, and monitoring; developing indicators that adequately support implementation of national plans and strategies; and providing evidence‐based recommendations to policy makers. The latter will be particularly important as 2020 approaches and work to develop a new biodiversity agenda for the next decade is beginning. Article impact statement: To strengthen the global biodiversity conventions, the scientific community needs to engage in enhancing cooperation among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]