Priority Activities

The table below is the list of CHM priority activities from annex II of document UNEP/CBD/COP/10/15 referred to by decision X/15.

Abrreviation used for Actors: ES=Executive Secretary - Nat=Parties - P=Partners

Goal 1		The central clearing-house mechanism provides effective global information services to facilitate the implementation of the strategic plan of the Convention.
Ref.	Actors	Objectives and Activities
1.1.		The CBD Secretariat has the capacity to sustain an effective central clearing-house mechanism.
1.1.1.	ES	Consolidate the Secretariat's capacity in information technology particularly to further develop the website and other modern information services.
1.1.2.	ES	Strengthen the Secretariat's capacity to manage knowledge and information, including terminology and documentation management.
1.1.3.	ES	Optimize the process of maintaining the CBD website in all United Nations languages by making sound use of modern translation technology.
1.2.		A high-quality CBD website is available in all United Nations languages
1.2.1.	ES	Maintain and improve the CBD website and its related portals in terms of content, services, appearance, user-friendliness, usability, and accessibility.
1.2.2.	ES	Make the CBD website available in all United Nations languages.
1.3		Effective information exchange services are fully operational
1.3.1.	ES	Expand the knowledge base by incorporating additional Convention-related information on reference documents, training materials, case-studies, implementation initiatives, online sources, organizations, contacts, events, multimedia resources, work programmes, partnerships, and other relevant items, in a way that allows easy access and cross-references.
1.3.2.	ES	Integrate collaboration tools in a user workspace encouraging Parties, experts, practitioners, and other stakeholders to maintain contact, share ideas, and work together, while providing quick access to information directly related to each user's role and activities.
1.3.3.	ES	Implement the online submission system as the update mechanism of the knowledge base and collaboration tools, to enable Parties and all stakeholders to make contributions related to the Convention and its implementation.
1.3.4.	ES	Create a Web 2.0 plug-in module able to retrieve relevant information from the central clearing-house mechanism in order to display it on national clearing-house mechanism websites.
1.3.5.	ES	Continue to develop and use information exchange services to make Convention-related information easily and widely accessible, in line with technological and social trends.
1.4		The CBD Secretariat facilitates the development of a network of experts and practitioners among Parties and partners.
1.4.1.	ES	Establish an interoperable global contact database with a user-friendly and open sign-up system to encourage participation.
1.4.2.	All	In collaboration with Parties and partners, identify existing experts and practitioners, and invite them to join the network.
1.4.3.	All	Organize communities of practices by common goals and interests and identify active leaders that will promote knowledge sharing, collaboration and human networking.
1.5		Guidance is available for Parties and partners to exchange information through the clearing-house mechanism network.
1.5.1.	ES	Establish and publish specifications to exchange information through the clearing-house mechanism network, including interoperability protocols, common formats, controlled vocabularies, and other technical guidelines.
1.5.2.	ES	Provide guidance to Parties and partners on how to exchange information through the clearing-house mechanism network.
Goal 2		National clearing-house mechanisms provide effective information services to facilitate implementation of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
Ref.	Actors	Objectives and Activities
2.1.		All Parties have the capacity to sustain effective national clearing-house mechanisms.
2.1.1.	Nat	If not yet done, designate, as soon as possible, a national focal point for the clearing-house mechanism, as requested by paragraph 7 of decision II/3, with the appropriate expertise to coordinate and implement the national clearing-house mechanism.
2.1.2.	Nat	Prepare a national implementation strategy for the clearing-house mechanism, where appropriate, preferably as a component of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan, based on identified needs.
2.1.3.	Nat	Establish a national structure, as appropriate, to coordinate the development of the clearing-house mechanism, such as an inter-institutional steering committee with participation of relevant biodiversity-related organizations and stakeholders.
2.1.4.	Nat	Mobilize and allocate resources for strengthening the institutional capacity to implement the national clearing-house mechanism and for sustaining its operations.
2.1.5.	Nat	Define roles and responsibilities for collecting, reviewing and disseminating information, managing website content, and for outreach activities.
2.2		High-quality national clearing-house mechanism websites are available.
2.2.1.	Nat	Maintain and improve the national clearing-house mechanism website in terms of content, services, appearance, user-friendliness, usability, and accessibility.
2.2.2.	Nat	Whenever applicable and feasible, make the national clearing-house mechanism website available in various national and local languages.
2.2.3.	Nat	Identify relevant biodiversity-related information sources at the national level and promote them through the national clearing-house mechanism, and if not yet done, first provide basic information on national contacts and on biodiversity in the country.
2.2.4.	Nat	Develop the national clearing-house mechanism as a key means for the implementation and review of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan, including by providing information on implementation activities, scientific data, expertise, and technologies.
2.3		National information is exchanged through the clearing-house mechanism network.
2.3.1.	Nat	Whenever possible, develop information exchange mechanisms with relevant national databases, making use, whenever applicable and appropriate, of well-established open standards.
2.3.2.	Nat	Whenever feasible and appropriate, make use of Web 2.0 tools to exchange information with the central clearing-house mechanism.
2.4		Parties collaborate and share knowledge through the clearing-house mechanism network.
2.4.1	Nat	Undertake a national biodiversity knowledge management initiative that identifies knowledge needs and sources for the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
2.4.2.	Nat	Develop a knowledge-sharing culture to ensure that information and knowledge from various national sources is effectively provided and published on the national clearing-house mechanism.
2.4.3.	Nat	Whenever possible, develop links between the national clearing-house mechanism and existing networks.
2.4.4.	Nat	Encourage the use of the national clearing-house mechanism as a tool to dialog with the civil society, major groups and stakeholders.
2.5		Partners and the CBD Secretariat have contributed to the development of national clearing-house mechanisms.
2.5.1.	All	Provide guidance and support to assist Parties in developing their national clearing-house mechanisms, including through organizations which are present and active at the national or regional levels, and based on the special capacity-building needs of developing countries and on the status of their national clearing-house mechanisms.
2.5.2.	All	Organize workshops to share experience and build capacity to develop national clearing-house mechanisms, preferably with training modules and expertise.
2.5.3.	P Nat	Make GEF funding available for establishing or strengthening national clearing-house mechanisms
2.5.4.	P Nat	Assist Parties with less developed clearing-house mechanisms through partnerships and mentoring.
Goal 3		Partners significantly expand the clearing-house mechanism network and services.
Ref.	Actors	Objectives and Activities
3.1.		Partners can sustain their participation in the clearing-house mechanism.
3.1.1.	P	Include a clearing-house mechanism component in the organization's corporate strategy.
3.1.2.	P	Designate an appropriate technical contact or focal point for the clearing-house mechanism.
3.1.3.	P	Mobilize and allocate resources for contributing to the clearing-house mechanism.
3.2		High-quality regional and thematic clearing-house mechanism websites are available.
3.2.1.	P	Establish or further develop regional, subregional or thematic clearing-house mechanisms which provide effective information services that contribute to the implementation of the Convention.
3.3		Partner information is exchanged through the clearing-house mechanism network.
3.3.1.	P ES	Collaboratively investigate ways for partners to make their Convention-related information accessible through the clearing-house mechanism.
3.3.2.	P ES	Establish, through technical collaboration, information services enabling global access to relevant information from the Rio conventions and other multilateral environment agreements.
3.3.3.	P ES	Develop, through technical collaboration between the GEF and CBD Secretariats, an interoperability mechanism that provides information on GEF-funded projects related to the implementation of the Convention.
3.3.4.	P ES	Develop, through technical collaboration between the GBIF and CBD Secretariats, a Web 2.0 plug-in module able to retrieve relevant biodiversity data from the GBIF repository in order to display it on the central or national clearing-house mechanism websites.
3.4		Partners collaborate and share knowledge through the clearing-house mechanism network.
3.4.1.	P	Contribute to the knowledge base by submitting information that can facilitate the implementation of the Convention, such as the organization profile, key expertise, major activities, case-studies, lessons learned, best practices, and other relevant resources.
3.4.2.	P	Whenever possible, undertake initiatives to generate, capture, organize, package or transfer information and knowledge relevant to the implementation of the Convention.
3.4.3.	P	Encourage experts and practitioners to participate in the communities of practice related to their expertise.