1.Recalls the high-level meeting on biodiversity of the United Nations General Assembly held on 22 September 2010 as a contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity and, in particular, the Presidents Summary,
51 which notes the substantial benefits to be gained from the coherent implementation of the three Rio conventions as well as other biodiversity-related conventions;
2.Welcomes the report coordinated by the Environment Management Group of the United Nations on the contribution of the United Nations system to the advancement of the biodiversity agenda post-2010
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welcomes also the commitment by the executive heads of members of the Group to contribute individually and collectively to the international biodiversity agenda, in particular by identifying opportunities for cooperation and mainstreaming biodiversity into the relevant policy sectors of the United Nations;
3.Takes note of the work of the Joint Liaison Group of the Rio conventions, the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions as well as of the chairs of scientific advisory bodies of biodiversity-related conventions;
4.Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, in consultation with the executive heads of the other biodiversity-related conventions, proposals on ways to strengthen the effectiveness of the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, its relevance to the needs of Parties, and its linkages to the Joint Liaison Group of the Rio conventions;
5.Urges Parties to establish close collaboration at the national level between the focal points for the Convention on Biological Diversity and focal points for other relevant conventions, with a view to developing coherent and synergetic approaches across the conventions at national and (sub )regional levels;
6.Bearing in mind the respective independent legal status and mandates of the three Rio conventions and the different composition of Parties, and the need to avoid duplication and promote resource efficiency and, based upon this, for the purpose of enhancing the capacity of countries, particularly developing countries, to implement the decisions of the Conference of the Parties related to biodiversity, climate change and desertification/land degradation and to promote cooperation, noting the actions in
decision IX/16 and the current serious knowledge and information gap in evaluating biological vulnerability as a result of climate change:
(a)Requests the Executive Secretary to convey a proposal to develop joint activities, between the three Rio conventions, to the secretariats of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification; and
(b)Invites the conferences of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to collaborate with the Convention on Biological Diversity, through the joint liaison group as appropriate with a view to:
(i)Including the development of joint activities in the agenda of the next meeting of the Joint Liaison Group of the three Rio conventions, and to consider, as appropriate, the proposed elements on joint activities regarding climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation and ecosystem-based approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation, contained in
decision IX/16;
(ii)Exploring the possibility of convening, subject to the availability of financial resources and prior to Rio+20, a joint preparatory meeting between the three Rio conventions, including, if appropriate, the participation of indigenous and local communities, to consider possible joint activities while respecting existing provisions and mandates, and to identify areas for Party-driven collaboration and submit these to the next Conferences of the Parties of each of the three Conventions for their consideration;
(iii)Consulting the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 (Rio+20) and to explore with the Bureau how to make use of this preparatory work in connection with Rio+20;
(iv)Exploring the possibility of convening meetings of national and/or subsidiary body focal points, bearing in mind the need to avoid additional resource burdens, to contribute to the process of cooperation;
7.Welcomes the initiative of the Executive Secretary to hold a retreat of the biodiversity-related conventions and the agreement amongst Secretariats to consider the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 as a useful framework that is relevant to all biodiversity-related conventions;
8.Invites the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions to continue giving consideration to the harmonization of national reporting and, in this context, welcomes the progress made in the GEF Project on Facilitating National Reporting to Rio Conventions (FNR-Rio), as well as the project to streamline reporting by Pacific island countries to the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements;
9.Invites the scientific advisory bodies of the biodiversity-related conventions and the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions to address at their future meetings options for enhanced cooperation, inter alia, with regard to work on cross-cutting issues, such as climate change, scientific criteria for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas in need of protection, and invasive alien species, in a manner consistent with their respective mandates, governance arrangements and agreed programmes of work and with a view to developing a coherent approach on these matters;
10.Requests the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation at its fourth meeting to, in order to increase the involvement of Parties in the work of the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions and the Joint Liaison Group of the Rio Conventions, determine the form and content of a process to enhance coordination, coherence and national level synergies among the biodiversity conventions;
11.Recognizing the importance of the coherent and synergistic implementation of the biodiversity-related conventions, requests the Executive Secretary to:
(a)Review and, where necessary, update working arrangements, such as the joint work plans, with the other biodiversity-related conventions;
(b)Consider ways to assist Parties to reflect the full range of activities of all biodiversity-related conventions in the context of the revision of national biodiversity strategies and action plans, as well as in relevant capacity-building activities;
12.Recalling resolution Conf. 10.4 (Rev. CoP14) of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on cooperation and synergy with the Convention on Biological Diversity, requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, to develop working arrangements that promote the coherent and mutually supportive implementation of the two conventions and their respective strategies;
13.Recalling that
decision VI/20 recognizes the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals as the lead partner in conserving and sustainably using migratory species over their entire range,
requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species, to update the joint work programme between the two conventions and to collaborate on providing support and guidance to Parties on the integration of migratory species considerations in national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
14.Notes the progress in implementation of the joint work plan between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and
expresses its appreciation to the Ramsar Convention, and its Secretariat and Scientific and Technical Review Panel, for the continued cooperation and welcomes the extension of the joint work plan for the period beyond 2010;
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15.Welcomes the Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Forum on Forests, including in the context of joint activities in the International Year of Forests, 2011;
16.Notes the 2010 Declaration on Bio-cultural Diversity and welcomes the joint programme of work between UNESCO and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
54 as useful coordination mechanism to advance the implementation of the Convention and deepen global awareness of the inter-linkages between cultural and biological diversity and
invites Parties and other relevant stakeholders to contribute to and support the implementation of this joint programme;
17.Requests the Executive Secretary:
(a)Recalling paragraph 9 of
decision IX/27, to further strengthen collaboration with the World Health Organization as well as other relevant organizations and initiatives with a view to promoting the consideration of biodiversity issues in health programmes and plans as appropriate, including the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and as a contribution to the achievement of the relevant Millennium Development Goals;
(b)To investigate how implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including on targets and issues relating to access and benefit-sharing, can best support efforts to address global health issues, and thereby facilitate consideration of biodiversity within national health strategies in line with the World Health Declaration,
55 and in support of the Millennium Development Goals and report thereon to the World Health Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, in 2012;
(c)Explore avenues for bridging the gaps between work being carried out to address the impacts of climate change on public health and work to address the impacts of climate change on biodiversity;
(d) Continue collaborating with the Co-Operation on Health and Biodiversity (COHAB) Initiative and other relevant organizations to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity issues into health policy and action plans;
18.
Also requests the Executive Secretary to continue, and further deepen, cooperation and liaison with the World Trade Organization, and to renew the Convention's pending applications for observer status in relevant bodies of the World Trade Organization;
19.Further requests the Executive Secretary to continue cooperation on biotrade and other trade-related matters with, inter alia, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
20.Also requests the Executive Secretary to continue collaboration with the World Tourism Organization, including on a review of the application of the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its seventh meeting.
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