Notification 2014-032

Dear Madam/Sir, In paragraph 2(a) of decision X/15 on the clearing house mechanism (CHM), the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) encourages Parties to continue to take the necessary steps to establish, strengthen, and ensure the sustainability of, national clearing house mechanisms (CHM Goal 2). Also, in paragraph 11 of decision XI/2, the COP welcomed the work programme for the clearing house mechanism in support of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 2020 (document UNEP/CBD/COP/11/31) which contains recommended activities to achieve this goal. Furthermore, in paragraph 11(b) of the same decision, the COP agreed to strengthen communication with, and build the capacity of, national focal points for the clearing house mechanism. Pursuant to these decisions, the Secretariat, with the generous support of the Government of Japan and Cameroon, is organizing a regional workshop for African countries on the clearing house mechanism to be held from 5 to 9 May 2014 in Buea, Cameroon. This workshop is intended for African countries that have not yet benefitted from a capacity-building initiative on the CHM, either from the Secretariat or from any of its partners. The working language of the workshop will be English. The objective of the workshop is to build capacity and provide guidance on how to establish and sustain effective national clearing house mechanisms, in line with decision X/15 and in support of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). The provisional agenda and other meeting documents will be made available on the CBD website at www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=CHM-WS-2014-01. In this regard, I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate one representative to participate in this workshop. The nominee should meet the following criteria: (a) Direct involvement in the development of the national CHM in your country, as expected from the CHM National Focal Point; (b) Familiarity with the national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP); (c) Ability to present the current situation of the national CHM as well as any existing plan to develop it; and (d) Occupy a position enabling him/her to apply the knowledge and capacity gained during the workshop for further developing the national CHM. The nomination should be in the form of an official letter addressed to the CBD Executive Secretary and signed by the CBD National Focal Point or a senior government official. This letter can either be scanned and emailed to secretariat@cbd.int or faxed to +1 514 288 6588, no later than 31 March 2014. The letter should contain the nominee's name and full contact details with an active email address. If the nominee is not a National Focal Point, a curriculum vitae indicating the nominee's areas of expertise should be included. As funding is limited, financial support to attend the workshop will be granted to Parties on a first come first served basis taking into account the above-mentioned criteria as well as the activities of the CHM National Focal Point in the country. Upon receipt of the nomination letter, necessary arrangements will be made and detailed information concerning the workshop will be communicated. I look forward to receiving your early nomination.

To: CBD National Focal Points with copy to the CHM National Focal Points of the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe