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WGRI-5 Recommendations

WGRI 5 Recommendation 5/2

5/2Improving the efficiency of structures and processes under the Convention and its Protocols

The Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention,
Recalling decision XI/10 on improving efficiency of structures and processes of the Convention and its Protocols,
Recognizing the need to ensure the integrity of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization while pursuing efficiencies and the integration of processes,
Stressing the importance of organizing concurrent meetings of the Convention and its Protocols in a manner that allows the full and effective participation of all Parties,
1.Requests the Executive Secretary:
(a)To prepare a plan for the organization of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol concurrently with the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, including identifying specific agenda items under the Convention and the Protocol that may benefit from consideration jointly or in close proximity to one another, in consultation with the Bureaux of the Conference of the Parties and the Intergovernmental Committee for the Nagoya Protocol;
(b)To prepare a plan for the concurrent organization in a two-week period of subsequent meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol, building on the options contained in annex II to the note by the Executive Secretary on improving the efficiency of structures and processes under the Convention and its Protocols 5 for consideration by the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol. The plan should address legal, financial and logistical aspects, the benefits and risks of all options, specific agenda items that would benefit from consideration jointly or in close proximity to one another and the implications of ensuring the full and effective participation of representatives of developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and Parties with economies in transition;
(c)To prepare a proposal for voluntary peer-review of the preparation and implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, taking into account the views expressed by Parties, designed to be implemented on a voluntary pilot basis by interested Parties, and submit this for consideration of the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting;
(d)To prepare terms of reference for a subsidiary body on implementation to replace the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, with a mandate of reviewing the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols for consideration by the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, the seventh meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the first meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol. These terms of reference should take into consideration the mandate of the other subsidiary bodies of the Convention and propose changes to these mandates, if desirable;
(e)To complete the ongoing development of the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism in order to make it fully operational as a component of the official website of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
(f)In preparation for the budget committee at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to make information available on the functional review of the Secretariat referred to in paragraph 25 of decision XI/31;
2.Recommends that the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting adopt a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties,
1.Recommends that, in future, the high-level segment of the Conference of the Parties be considered as a high-level segment of the Convention and its Protocols;
2.Decides to include an item on the agenda of its future meetings on integrated approaches to the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols;
3.Decides to add a standing item entitled “report on the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and implementation of Article 8(g)” to the agenda of its regular meetings to consider the main outcomes of the preceding meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol 6 and the general state of affairs under the Cartagena Protocol with a view to fostering synergies and integration;
4.Decides, on the basis of the plan prepared by the Executive Secretary, and in the light of the consideration of this issue by the seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol, that the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties shall be organized within a two-week period that also includes the meetings of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol and to the Cartagena Protocol, in the manner set out in annex I 7 to this decision;
5.Emphasizes the need to ensure the full and effective participation of Parties and indigenous and local communities;
6.Calls upon developed country Parties to increase their contributions to the relevant voluntary trust funds to support the full and effective participation of representatives from eligible Parties and indigenous and local communities;
7.Decides to establish a subsidiary body on implementation to replace the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, with the mandate set out in the terms of reference in annex II 8 to this decision;
8.Notes the process to improve the operations of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to enable it to fulfil its mandate more efficiently, and requests the Executive Secretary, in consultation with the Bureau, to continue to explore and implement ways to improve its efficiency, drawing on views of Parties and lessons learned from the seventeenth and eighteenth meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice;
9.Requests the Executive Secretary to explore ways to increase the efficient convening of meetings, including through virtual means, and to liaise with appropriate entities, such as the United Nations Development Programme, to identify the necessary facilities for delegates, including national focal points, in developing countries to participate effectively in these meetings and report to the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation at its sixth meeting or to the subsidiary body on implementation that may be established in accordance with paragraph 7 above, for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting; 9
10.Decides to enable a voluntary peer-review process for the national biodiversity strategies and action plans on a pilot basis by interested Parties making best use of mechanisms such as the NBSAP Forum, and requests the Executive Secretary to report on progress and challenges in its implementation to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting;
11.With a view to enabling the Conference of the Parties, at each of its meetings through 2020, to review progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in line with paragraph 3 (e) of decision X/2, invites Parties and other Governments, on a voluntary basis, to make available, information on progress towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and related national targets and on indicators and approaches towards assessing progress, including through use of the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism of the Convention, and requests the Executive Secretary to report on that voluntary exercise to the Conference of the Parties;
12.Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, on the basis of the experiences and lessons learned from the preparation of the fifth national report and the use of the voluntary online reporting tool, proposals for the sixth national report to facilitate streamlined reporting on issues covered by the Convention and its Protocols as well as any further improvement that may be needed to the online reporting tool, for consideration by the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its sixth meeting or by the subsidiary body on implementation that may be established in accordance with paragraph 7 above;
13.Also requests the Executive Secretary to explore the potential for harmonization of reporting with other biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements to improve access to relevant data for the implementation of the Convention and to reduce the reporting burden on Parties, and make use of the experiences from this work when preparing proposals for the sixth national report;
14.Further requests the Executive Secretary to explore options, including costs involved, for holding regional preparatory meetings prior to the concurrent meetings of the Conference of the Parties and the meetings of the Parties to the Protocols, and to provide a report to the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its sixth meeting or to the subsidiary body on implementation that may be established in accordance with paragraph 7 above;
15.Invites the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to consider strengthening the involvement of the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Programme to support the efforts of Parties to implement their commitments under the Convention and its Protocols;
16.Encourages Parties to integrate biosafety and access and benefit-sharing into national biodiversity strategies and action plans, national development plans and other relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, plans and programmes, as appropriate, taking into account national circumstances, legislation and priorities;
17.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources:
(a)To undertake an assessment of the Parties’ capacity needs and skill gaps with regard to integration of biosafety and access and benefit-sharing issues into national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national development plans in order to tailor the capacity-building interventions based on the needs of Parties;
(b)To organize regional workshops for national focal points for the Cartagena Protocol, the Nagoya Protocol and Convention as well as indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders to share experiences and lessons learned in the integration of biosafety and access and benefit-sharing into national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
18.Encourages Parties and other Governments, as appropriate, in accordance with national circumstances and priorities, to strengthen national coordination mechanisms to facilitate a coordinated approach to the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols as well as other biodiversity-related conventions and the other Rio conventions.
5/15/3
5UNEP/CBD/WGRI/5/12.
6Note: if paragraph 4 of this draft decision is adopted, then this paragraph would not apply to the thirteenth meeting, since there would be no such "preceding meeting".
7The annex will be developed by the Conference of the Parties on the basis of the plan prepared by the Executive Secretary pursuant to paragraph 1(b) of WGRI recommendation 5/2.
8The annex will be developed by the Conference of the Parties on the basis of the terms of reference prepared by the Executive Secretary pursuant to paragraph 1(d) of WGRI recommendation 5/2
9This is subject to a decision by the Conference of the Parties at its twelfth meeting on the establishment of a subsidiary body on implementation, as recommended by the Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its fifth meeting (see paragraph 7 of the draft decision contained in recommendation 5/2).