Notification 2012-145

Dear Madam/Sir, Through Decision X/17, the Conference of the Parties decided to adopt the consolidated update of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, including the outcome-oriented global targets for the period 2011-2020, and to pursue the implementation of the Strategy as part of the broader framework of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. In the same decision, the Conference of the Parties invited Parties and other Governments to inter alia develop or update national and, regional targets as appropriate, and, where appropriate, to incorporate them into relevant plans, programmes and initiatives, including national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and to align the further implementation of the Strategy with national and/or regional efforts to implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. In paragraph 15 of decision XI/26, the Conference of the Parties further requested the Executive Secretary to assist Parties in establishing linkages between the monitoring of national implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and the review and revision of updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans, including by inviting relevant experts to regional and subregional capacity-building workshops on national biodiversity strategies and action plans where possible. In light of these provisions, and with the generous support from the Government of Japan, the Secretariat, in collaboration with Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Singapore Botanical Gardens is organizing a workshop to consider the need for and approaches towards reflecting national plant conservation targets in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans as these are being updated in accordance with decision X/2. The workshop will be held at Singapore Botanical Gardens, Singapore, from 4 to 8 March 2013. Please note that this workshop, originally planned for September 2012, had to be postponed for technical reasons. Parties are invited to nominate two Government representatives to participate in this workshop. The nomination should be in the form of an official letter addressed to the CBD Executive Secretary signed by the focal point or a senior government official, and should contain the nominee’s name and full contact information, including email addresses. This letter can either be scanned and emailed to secretariat@cbd.int or faxed to the Secretariat at + 1 514 288 6588, no later than 15 December 2012. In submitting nominations, Parties are requested to note that one participant should be directly involved in the development, updating and/or implementation of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan. The other participant should be involved in the national implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Parties that had made nominations for the workshop planned for September 2012 are invited to reconfirm or modify their earlier nominations for the new dates in March 2013. Upon receipt of nominations, further information on travel and hotel arrangements will be duly communicated to participants. We look forward to receiving your early nominations. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points and GSPC Focal Points of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, Viet Nam