The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, and entered into force on 29 December 1993. It is the first global agreement to cover all aspects of biological diversity: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The Secretariat of the Convention launched the Biodiversity E-Learning Platform in 2017. The goal of this platform is to provide capacity development on biodiversity using new technologies, while connecting learners and instructors from around the world.
Since its launch, the platform has housed more than 15 courses in 4 languages. The platform has also developed courses in partnership with UNDP, UNEP, IDLO, and The Nature Conservancy.