GRENADA'S DELEGATE APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF GLOBAL ADVISORY BODY

St. George, May 29, 2008 --- Dr. Linus Spencer Thomas, Chairman of the Grenada Sustainable Development Council has been appointed as Chairman of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) for the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

As a result of this appointment which occured in Bonn, Germany on May 23, Dr. Thomas now heads the ten member Bureau of the SBSTTA and is expected to preside over the five–day annual meetings of the Body over the two year period.

Grenada has been a party to the CBD since 1994. One hundred and ninety one countries are Parties to the Convention. The Convention aims to promote conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

The SBSTTA is the highest subsidiary body of the Convention and open to participation by all Parties to the CBD. Its role as the premier science-policy interface is essential to the implementation of the CBD and therefore protecting the diversity of life on earth.

As outlined in Article 25 of the Convention, the functions of SBSTTA include the following:
•    The provision of advice to the Conference of Parties and its other Subsidiary bodies
•    The preparation of scientific, technological and technical assessments
•    The identification and development of technologies, methodologies and know-how relating to conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing of biological diversity
•     The provision of advice on scientific programmes and international cooperation in research and development relating to conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.