RUDN University Moscow, Russian Federation
under the frameworkof
XVIII Blischenko Congress on Public International Law
INTRODUCTION
The 2030 Agendafor Sustainable Development, agreed by all States Members of the United Nations, sets out an ambitiousframework of uni- versal and indivisible goals (SDGs) and targets to addressa range of global societal challenges. Biodiver- sity and ecosystems feature promi- nentlyacross many of the Sustaina- ble Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets. They contribute directly to human well-being and development priorities. Biodiversity is at the centreof many economic activities, particularly those relat- ed to crop and livestockagriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Globally, nearly half of the humanpopulation is directly dependenton natural re- sources for its livelihood, and many of the most vulnerable people de- pend directlyon biodiversity to fulfil their daily subsistence needs. The StrategicPlan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 andits Aichi Biodi- versity Targets adopted under the Convention on Biological Diver- sity 1992 have been recognized as setting the global frameworkfor priority actions on biodiversity. The 2030 Agenda is consistent with other existing international commitments, including the Strategic Plan for Bi- odiversity. The SDGs and the Stra- tegic Plan are mutually supportive and reinforcing, and thereforethe implementation of one contributes to the achievement of the other.
The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health. The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global
awareness on how protecting plant health canhelp end hunger, re- duce poverty, protectthe envi- ronment, and boost economic de- velopment.
Plants are the source of the air we breathe and most of the food we eat, yet we often don’t think about keeping them healthy. This canhave devastating results.FAO estimatesthat up to 40% of food cropsare lost due to plant pests and diseas-es annually. This leaves millionsof people withoutenough food to eat and seriously damagesagriculture The primarysource of income for rural poor communities. “Plants providethe core basis for life on Earth and they are the sin- gle most importantpillar of human nutrition. But healthyplants are not somethingthat we can take for granted” said FAO Director-General
Qu Dongyuwho launched the Year on the sidelines of the UN agency’sCouncil meeting. Plant health is increasingly under threat. Climate change, and human activities, have alteredecosystems, reducing biodiversity and cre- ating new niches where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade has tripled in volume in the last decade and can quickly spread pests and diseasesaround the world causing great damage tona-tive plants and the environment.
Protecting plants from pests and diseasesis far more cost effective than dealing with full-blown plant healthemergencies. Plant pests and diseases are often impossible to eradicate once they have established themselves and managingthem is time consuming and expensive. Prevention is criticalto avoiding the devastating impact of pests and diseases on agriculture, livelihoods and food securityand many of us have a role to play in that process.
KEY TOPICS
The organizers are particularly interested inpresentations that address one or more of the followingquestions (although any paper proposal rele- vantto the subject of the Roundtablewill be considered):
Sustainable Development Goals and biodiversity: internation- al legal aspects
Possibly interactions between Convention on Biological Di- versity (CBD) and International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
Plant health and food security:international legal aspects
Plant health and ecosystems: international legal aspects
Plant health and climatechange: international legal aspects
The WTO Agreementon the Application of Sanitary and Phy- tosanitary Measures sets and rules for food safety and plant health standards
Plant health and InvasiveAlien Species: international legal aspects
APPLICATIONS
Paper proposals, no longer than 250 words,should be sent to AlexandrSolntsev (solntsev-am@rudn.ru), Paolo D. Farah (paolo.farah@glawcal. org.uk) and Denis Gugunskiy (gugunskiy-da@rudn.ru), not later than
12.00 CET on 20 February 2020.All submissions need to be accompa-nied by a short CV (no longer than 2 pages). Selected speakers are ex- pected to submit extendedoutlines (8-10 pages) of their papers before the Conference.
The conference will take place at the premisesof the the Department of International Law of the RUDN University, Moscow, Russian Federation on10 -11 April 2020.
Speakers will be expected to bear thecosts of their own travel and accom- modation. Both ESIL membersand non-members are invitedto submit abstracts. ESIL membership will berequired if the abstract isselected.
Paolo DavideFarah (West VirginiaUniversity, USA and gLAWcal - Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development,UK & ESIL Board Member and Convenerof the ESIL IG on International EnvironmentalLaw)
Alexandr Solntsev (RUDN University Moscow,Russian Federation)
DenisGugunskiy (RUDN UniversityMoscow, Russian Federation)
The conference is jointlyorganized by the ESIL InterestGroup on Interna- tional Environmental Law (ESIL) and the Department of International Law of the RUDN University, Moscow,Russian Federation.
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