United Nations General Assembly A/RES/58/212 Distr.: General 11 March 2004 Fifty-eighth session Agenda item 94 (c) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2003 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/58/484/Add.3)] 58/212. Convention on Biological Diversity The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 55/201 of 20 December 2000, 56/197 of 21 December 2001 and 57/253 and 57/260 of 20 December 2002, Reiterating that the Convention on Biological Diversity 1 is the key international instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, Recalling the World Summit on Sustainable Development commitments to pursue a more efficient and coherent implementation of the three objectives of the Convention and the achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity, which will require action at all levels, including the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans and the provision of new and additional financial and technical resources to developing countries, Reaffirming the urgency to recognize, subject to national legislation, the rights of local and indigenous communities that are holders of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices, and, with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices, to develop and implement benefitsharing mechanisms, on mutually agreed terms, for the use of such knowledge, innovations and practices, Expressing its deep appreciation for the generous offer of the Government of Malaysia to host the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, to be held at Kuala Lumpur, respectively, from 9 to 20 February and from 23 to 27 February 2004, Takes note of the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on 1. Biological Diversity, submitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session; 2 _______________ 1 2 03 50724 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619. A/58/191.