Oct 16, 2012
British Minister of State for natural environment, water and rural affairs at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Richard Benyon, will lead the UK delegation to the 11th meeting of conference of parties (COP 11) for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), being held in Hyderabad from 8 -19 October 2012.
Mr Benyon will attend the high level ministerial segment from 16-19 October 2012.
During his visit to India, the Minister will look at sustainable businesses, protecting the environment whilst still being profitable. He will visit villages in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh to see sustainable cotton production in action. He will visit the site where the UK retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) sources its cotton for products sold around the world under the “Better Cotton Initiative” label. Phase one of the WWF-supported project, launched in 2009, has already achieved significant reduction in water and pesticide use and increased profitability for over 6,000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
The Minister will also visit Dr. Reddy’s Bachupalli facility in Hyderabad which is a leader in sustainable manufacturing initiatives in India. The facility is a zero discharge plant, with its own water treatment system. The plant recycles 4KL of water every day, reducing its dependency on city water supplies. . There are 5 rainwater harvesting systems, recharging the ground water and many energy conservation initiatives. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd is a major investor in the UK including with manufacturing facilities in Slough and an R&D centre in Cambridge. Prime Minister David Cameron met the Chairman Dr Anji Reddy during his last visit to the Cambridge research centre. Earlier this month, they announced a third expansion in the UK, in as many years with a new site in Mirfield.
Joint India-UK Side Event at COP, HICC, Hyderabad – 16 October
As part of the work on the key theme of strategic resource mobilisation, the joint India-UK high level panel on the global assessment of resources for implementing the strategic plan for biodiversity 2011-2020 will present its preliminary findings at a side event at the conference.
This offers an early chance to hear more about the Panel’s work up to COP11 and details of its preliminary findings. The findings highlight the benefits beyond biodiversity of meeting the Aichi targets and to understand resource needs in this context. They bring out the crucial role of enabling policies and political will in meeting the Aichi targets in the most cost effective manner. The Panel has also identified areas where further work may be useful to help Parties develop strategies to meet the Aichi targets.
