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COP 7 Decision VII/26

Cooperation with other conventions and international organizations and initiatives

The Conference of the Parties

Recognizing that enhanced international cooperation and improved coordination at national level will be important in efforts to meet the 2010 target,

Noting Strategic Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan adopted by decision VI/26; that the Convention is fulfilling its leadership role in international biodiversity issues, and in particular subsidiary goals 1.2; that the Convention is promoting cooperation between all relevant international instruments and processes to enhance policy coherence, and 1.3; that other institutional processes are actively supporting the implementation of the Convention, in a manner consistent with their respective frameworks,

Noting the report by the secretariat on cooperation with other organizations, initiatives and conventions (UNEP/CBD/COP/7/19), which contains concrete examples of actions that demonstrate cooperation between international conventions and with implementing organizations,

Welcoming the support of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA Resolution A/58/112) for the ongoing work of the liaison group of the secretariats and officers of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC, the UNCCD and the CBD, which, inter alia, encourages continuing cooperation in order to promote complementarities among the secretariats while respecting their independent legal status,

Recognizing the leading role of UNEP in environmental issues,

Recognizing the role of the Joint Liaison Group in supporting cooperation between the Rio conventions, and the role of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests in enhancing cooperation and coordination on Forest issues, where the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is the focal agency on forest biodiversity and traditional forest related  knowledge,

1. Urges further enhanced cooperation between the Convention on Biological Diversity and all relevant international conventions, organizations and bodies, strengthening and building on existing cooperative arrangements to enhance synergies and reduce inefficiencies in a manner consistent with their respective mandates, governance arrangements and agreed programs, within existing resources;

2. Requests in this context, the Executive Secretary, to invite the secretariats of the other four biodiversity conventions (CITES, Ramsar, CMS and World Heritage Convention) to form a liaison group to enhance coherence and cooperation in their implementation, and to report on progress made to the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

3. Requests the Executive Secretary, drawing on the experience gained in the exercise mentioned above, and in close collaboration with relevant conventions, organizations and bodies, to examine options for a flexible framework between all relevant actors, such as a global partnership on biodiversity, in order to enhance implementation through improved cooperation, and to report to the Conference of the Parties at its eighth meeting on possible ways forward;

4. Requests  the Executive Secretary to renew his applications for observer status in relevant bodies of the World Trade Organization, in particular, in the Council on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs Council);

5. Requests the Executive Secretary to inform the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, on ongoing work to establish ways of enhancing cooperation between the major biodiversity related organizations and secretariats;

6. Requests all Parties and other Governments to support this initiative at the national level and in relevant forums.