US HCR34

Concurrent resolution urging the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which the U.S. signed on June 4, 1993 but has never ratified

The United States is the only UN member state that has not ratified the Convention, which was established in Rio de Janeiro on June 5, 1992

Without ratification, the U.S. holds only "observer" status and lacks voting power in Convention deliberations, limiting American influence on decisions affecting national security and economic interests

Nearly 1,000,000 species are threatened with extinction due to human-driven biodiversity loss worldwide

The resolution notes the U.S. already complies with Convention obligations under existing domestic law and federal agencies often align their plans with Convention initiatives