Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones will lead the U.S. delegation to the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan. The high level segment of the meeting takes place October 27-29, 2010.

The primary U.S. objectives at the conference in Japan are to work with the Parties to develop a practical, workable regime on Access and Benefit Sharing for genetic resources that fall under the Convention on Biological Diversity; to emphasize science-based decision making in all aspects of biodiversity conservation; and, to develop an ambitious yet measurable and achievable post-2010 strategy.

There are 193 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was opened for signature at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and entered into force in December 1993. The U.S. signed the treaty in June 1993. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended ratification in 1994 but the treaty remains before the Senate. U.S. representatives participate as observers at Conferences of the Parties and meetings of the Convention's subsidiary scientific body.