Expressing the need for the Senate to provide advice and consent to ratification of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
This concurrent resolution expresses that it is in the national interest for the U.S. Senate to provide its advice and consent to ratification of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The bill notes a global biodiversity crisis, points out that all other U.N. member states have ratified CBD while the United States has not (even though the U.S. signed the treaty in 1993), and argues that U.S. participation as a party would strengthen the nation’s influence in international biodiversity governance, national security, and economic interests. The resolution frames ratification as consistent with current U.S. law and federal planning and calls for Senate action to ratify, though it does not itself implement or alter domestic law. In short, the bill is a non-binding expression of congressional sentiment urging the Senate to move forward with a formal ratification vote on CBD. If the Senate approves, ratification would move the United States from observer status to full party status in CBD deliberations, subject to the constitutional requirement of Senate advice and consent (typically a two-thirds vote) for treaty ratification.
Key Points
- 1This is a concurrent resolution urging the Senate to provide its advice and consent to ratification of the CBD, signaling congressional support for making the United States a party to the treaty.
- 2The CBD, adopted at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, aims to conserve biodiversity, promote sustainable use of its components, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources; all other U.N. member states have ratified it, but the United States has not (it signed in 1993 but has not ratified).
- 3The resolution argues that the United States is already legally compliant with CBD obligations under current domestic law and that federal agencies align many plans with CBD initiatives.
- 4It contends that U.S. non-ratification limits the country to observer status and reduces influence over CBD deliberations, decisions, and rules that can affect national security and economic interests.
- 5The text frames U.S. leadership in conservation and biodiversity science as historically strong but weakened by recent policy and funding shifts, and it presents ratification as a way to restore leadership and align U.S. policy with CBD objectives.