Notification 2020-068

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Taukondjo Sem Shikongo has been appointed as the new Senior Programme Manager on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) at the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity. Some of you may have already had the opportunity to work with him, as he was one of the lead negotiators leading to the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol in 2010. I am happy to welcome him back in the Access and Benefit-Sharing community. I would like to personally thank Mr. Worku Damena Yifru for taking up the challenge of leading the ABS team and functions in the interim, as well as many other colleagues who supported the ABS team during this biennium so it could fulfill its mandate. Mr. Shikongo and his team will reach out in the coming weeks to regional groups and ABS National Focal Points to discuss opportunities, ideas and challenges, if any, of relevance to the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol. I am confident that Mr. Shikongo and his team will do their best to assist you in moving forward the third objective of the Convention and the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in the context of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. You may contact Mr. Shikongo at: Tauko.Shikongo@cbd.int. I thank you for your continued cooperation and support for the work of the Nagoya Protocol. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: ABS National Focal Points, CBD National Focal Points (where ABS focal points have not yet been designated), international organizations, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant stakeholders