1.Invites Parties to enhance coordination among their respective biodiversity-related convention national focal points, in order to identify national priorities in support of the implementation of the various biodiversity-related conventions, that are aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and with the implementation of the Aichi biodiversity Targets, and incorporate them into their national biodiversity strategy and action plans;
2.Invites the governing bodies of the various biodiversity-related conventions:
(a)To provide elements of advice, as appropriate, concerning the funding of the national priorities referred to in the paragraph above within their respective mandates and in accordance with the mandate of the Global Environment Facility, that may be referred to the Global Environment Facility through the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity;
(b)To request their respective secretariats to transmit such advice in a timely manner to the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
3.Requests the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to include any advice received in accordance with paragraph 2 above into the documentation for the appropriate agenda item, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its next meeting;
4.Also requests the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity to further liaise with the various biodiversity-related conventions and the Global Environment Facility in order to find ways to facilitate the efforts of Parties as indicated in paragraph 1 above;
5.Welcomes the creation of programmes 5 and 8 in the GEF-6 biodiversity focal area strategy, reflecting the importance of the Cartagena and the Nagoya Protocols, and invites Parties to prioritize projects accordingly.
Recalling Article 21, paragraph 3, of the Convention,
Recalling also the Memorandum of Understanding between the Conference of the Parties and the Council of the Global Environment Facility,
1
Having reviewed the reports of the Global Environment Facility to the eleventh
2 and twelfth meetings of the Conference of the Parties,
Having considered the independent report on the fourth review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism of the Convention,
3 including the recommendations from the independent consultant on actions to improve the effectiveness of the financial mechanism, and the comments provided thereon by the Global Environment Facility,
1.Decides, with a view to further streamlining guidance to the Global Environment Facility, that the Conference of the Parties should review proposed new guidance to avoid or reduce repetitiveness, to consolidate previous guidance where appropriate and to prioritize guidance in the context of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
2.Welcomes the sixth replenishment package for the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, and encourages Parties to submit project proposals to the Global Environment Facility in line with their national priorities and the guidance from the Conference of the Parties;
3.Encourages the Parties to promote co-financing and projects that benefit from synergies and the multi-focal approach in using Global Environment Facility resources;
4.Invites the Global Environment Facility to take the following action in order to further improve the effectiveness of the financial mechanism:
(a)Enhance its catalytic role in mobilizing new and additional financial resources while not compromising project goals;
(b)In collaboration with the Agencies and the Parties, continue to streamline the project cycle as suggested by the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility in OPS-5;
(c)Coordinate with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity on how to better measure progress in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by initiatives supported by the Global Environment Facility, taking into account the agreed GEF-6 portfolio-level indicators;
(d)Explore ways to balance the comprehensiveness and conciseness of the report of the Global Environment Facility, acknowledging the need to demonstrate the progress in programming resources towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
5.Encourages the Executive Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility to continue to strengthen inter-secretariat cooperation and collaborate with the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility and the Global Environment Facility agencies;
6.Requests the Executive Secretary to explore and report on ways in which the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting can best utilize the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Convention’s protocols to set priorities for the financial mechanism within the context of the four-year framework of programming priorities for GEF-7 and submit the report to the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its sixth meeting, or its successor,
4 for its consideration.
