Side Event

'Harmonisation of national reporting to the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements'

Organizer
Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Date and Time
21 May 2008 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 9)

National reporting is one of the key obligations for Parties to the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). However, gathering and synthesising the information required for the reports to the various MEAs can provide a burden for Parties. A range of COP decisions, including by the CBD, have called for continuing efforts for harmonisation of national reporting. This side event will focus on the harmonisation of national reporting and will inform about a project on streamlining national reporting for Pacific Island countries to the biodiversity-related MEAs which is funded and coordinated by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). In addition, recent UNEP studies on the suitability for the biodiversity-related conventions of the approach to harmonisation of the Human Rights Treaty System as well as on thematic reporting on inland waters for CBD and Ramsar will be introduced. It is hoped that the event provides new insights and stimulates the discussion on harmonisation and synergies between multilateral environmental agreements.