Review of implementation of
Articles 20 and 21
A. In-depth review of the availability of financial resources
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling Articles 20 and 21 and related provisions of other
Articles of the Convention,
Recalling that in decision VIII/13, the Conference of the
Parties decided to conduct an in-depth review of the availability of
financial resources, including through the financial mechanism, at its
ninth meeting,
Taking note of the report of the Executive Secretary
(UNEP/CBD/COP/9/16),
Concerned that the lack of sufficient financial resources
continues to be one of the main obstacles to achieving the Convention's
three objectives, including the 2010 biodiversity target, as well as the
Millennium Development Goals,
Underlining that effective national systems and a supportive
international regime on access and benefit-sharing could support
sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and its associated
ecosystem services, including through generating financial returns,
Recognizing that local communities and governments in developing
countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island
developing States, may be subject to high conservation opportunity costs,
Resolving to significantly reduce the gaps in funding for
biological diversity,
1. Encourages the Parties and relevant organizations to improve
the existing financial information 13/ through enhancing accuracy,
consistency and delivery of existing data
on biodiversity financing and improved reporting on funding needs and
shortfalls for the Convention's three objectives, and, in this context,
requests the Executive Secretary to regularly update and further
develop the Convention's online network on finance;
2. Encourages the Parties and relevant organizations to intensify
efforts to assess, as appropriate, the economic costs of the loss of
biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services and of the failure to
take measures to fulfil the three objectives of the Convention, as well
as the benefits of early action to reduce loss of biological diversity
and its associated ecosystem services, in order to inform decision-making
and awareness-raising, inter alia through contributing to the
"Global Study on the Economics of Ecosystems and
Biodiversity;"14/
3. Urges the Global Environment Facility to continue to mobilize
co-financing and other modes of financing for its projects related to
implementation of the Convention, and requests the Global
Environment Facility to continue to leverage financial resources to
support the Convention's objectives;
4. Urges Parties and Governments, where appropriate, to create
the enabling environment to mobilize private and public-sector
investments in biological diversity and its associated ecosystem
services;
5. Recommends that Parties and relevant organizations identify,
engage and increase SouthSouth cooperation as a complement to North-South
cooperation to enhance technical, financial, scientific and technological
cooperation and innovations, for biological diversity;
6. Urges the Parties and Governments to continue to enhance
national administrative and managerial capacities, thus enabling more
efficient resource utilization and enhancing positive impacts;
7. Urges Parties, the Global Environment Facility, and relevant
organizations to include gender, indigenous peoples and local communities
perspectives in the financing of biodiversity and its associated
ecosystem services;
8. Invites the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting
of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to request the Adaptation Fund Board
to consider the co-benefits of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem
services in projects supported by the Adaptation Fund, where eligible
Parties have identified it as a priority;
9. Requests the Executive Secretary to compile existing
guidelines and best practices for mainstreaming financing of biodiversity
and its associated ecosystem services into overall and sectoral planning
as well as on financial needs assessment and make this information
publicly available;
10. Encourages Parties and other Governments to build on existing
knowledge of biodiversity and poverty alleviation mainstreaming 15/
to integrate biodiversity into national development policies and
plans.
B. Strategy for resource mobilization in support of the
achievement of the three objectives of the Convention
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling its decision VIII/13,
Noting the inputs on the development of the strategy for
resource mobilization provided by the secretariat of the Global
Environment Facility (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/14),
Taking note of the draft strategy for resource mobilization
prepared by the Executive Secretary after informal consultations with the
Parties and relevant organizations (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/16/Add.1/Rev.1,
annex),
Having considered recommendation 2/2 of the second meeting of
the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation,
regarding options and a draft strategy for resource mobilization in
support of the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity
(UNEP/CBD/COP/9/4, annex I),
1. Adopts the strategy for resource mobilization in support of
the achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological
Diversity annexed to the present decision;
2. Also invites the Parties and relevant organizations,
including United Nations development system, the World Bank, regional
development banks and all other relevant international and regional
bodies, as well as non-governmental organizations and business sector
entities to take prompt actions to implement the strategy for resource
mobilization in support of the achievement of the Convention's three
objectives;
3. Invites Parties to come forward with early commitments of
additional funding in support of the strategy for resource mobilization
in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention;
4. Invites Parties to come forward with new and innovative
financing mechanisms in support of the strategy for resource mobilization
in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention, requests the
Executive Secretary to support diffusion of such initiatives and requests the Global Environment Facility to support diffusion,
and facilitate replication and scaling-up, of such initiatives that have
proved to be successful;
5. Decides to review the implementation of the strategy for
resource mobilization at its tenth meeting, and that the Executive
Secretary shall prepare the necessary documentation pertinent to these
goals for consideration by the Conference of the Parties;
6. Invites Parties to submit views on concrete activities and
initiatives including measurable targets and/or indicators to achieve the
strategic goals contained in the strategy for resource mobilization and
on indicators to monitor the implementation of the strategy;
7. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a compilation of
the information provided in accordance with paragraph 6 of the present
decision, including options on monitoring progress towards the goals and
objectives of the resource mobilization strategy, and make it available
three months prior to the third meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working
Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;
8. Requests the Ad Hoc Open Ended Group on Review of
Implementation of the Convention to prepare at its third meeting a list
of concrete activities and initiatives to achieve the strategic goals of
the strategy for resource mobilization and on indicators to monitor the
implementation of the Strategy, and submit it for consideration of the
Conference of the Parties, at its tenth meeting;
9. Decides to adopt the following process in preparing for the
implementation of goal 4 of the strategy 16/:
(a) Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a
document on policy options concerning innovative financial mechanisms,
with inputs from regional centers of excellence in a geographically
balanced way and forward it to the Ad Hoc Working Group on Review of
Implementation of the Convention;
(b) Requests the Ad Hoc Working Group on Review of Implementation
of the Convention to identify a series of options and policy
recommendations concerning innovative financial mechanisms, based on the
above information and the submissions received from Parties in response
to the invitation contained in paragraph 6 of the present decision;
(c) Requests the Ad Hoc Working Group on Review of Implementation
of the Convention submit the results for consideration by the Conference
of the Parties at its tenth meeting.
Annex
STRATEGY FOR RESOURCE MOBILIZATION IN SUPPORT OF THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE
CONVENTION'S THREE OBJECTIVES FOR THE PERIOD 2008-2015
I. THE URGENCY
1. The loss of biological diversity and the consequent decline in
ecosystem services is increasing at an unprecedented rate, and the causes
of this loss are mostly steady or even increasing in intensity in the
coming decades.
2. The loss of biological diversity has led to far-reaching environmental,
social, economic and cultural impacts, exacerbated by the negative
effects of climate change, and its consequences are harshest for the
poor.
3. The loss of biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services
poses a significant barrier to achieving sustainable development and the
Millennium Development Goals.
4. The Convention on Biological Diversity is the foremost international
legal instrument to address the loss of biological diversity and ensure
attendant ecosystem services. The lack of financial resources is a major
impediment to achieve the Convention's three objectives.
5. To
achieve the Convention's three objectives can be financially affordable
and feasible. In a multitude of decisions, the Parties have
acknowledged the urgent need for adequate financing.
6. The resource mobilization strategy aims to assist the Parties to the
Convention and relevant organizations to mobilize adequate and
predictable financial resources to support the achievement of the
Convention's three objectives including the
achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction of the current rate of
biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a
contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth.
7. The
strategy considers the full range of possible local, national, regional
and international funding sources, both public and private. It is geared
towards implementation during an initial period up to 2015, coinciding
with the international development planning cycle, including the
Millennium Development Goals.
II. MISSION
8. The target of the strategy for
resource mobilization is to substantially enhance international financial
flows and domestic funding for biological diversity in order to achieve a
substantial reduction of the current funding gaps in support of the
effective implementation of the Convention's three objectives and the
2010 target. This target for global resource mobilization should be
viewed as a flexible framework for the development of measurable targets
and/or indicators addressing all relevant funding sources, according to
national priorities and capacities, and taking into account the special
situation and needs of developing countries.
III. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
9. The strategy calls for special consideration to the following guiding
principles during its implementation:
(a) Promote efficiency and effectiveness;
(b) Build synergies;
(c) Support innovation;
(d) Strengthen capacity;
(e) Raise awareness;
(f) Take into account gender and socio-economic perspectives.
IV. STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
10. Concrete activities and initiatives to achieve the following strategic
goals should be developed as well as indicators to monitor the
implementation of the Strategy, all within appropriate timeframes:
Goal 1:Improve information base on funding
needs, gaps and priorities
1.1. To improve the existing financial information base through enhancing
accuracy, consistency and delivery of existing data and improved
reporting on funding needs and shortfalls for the Convention's three
objectives. Funding trends could be measured through the following
indicators:
(a) OECD DAC Rio markers on biodiversity;
(b) National reports of Parties;
(c) Trends in funding to GEF;
(d) Funding flows through a selected number of the large international
NGOs.
1.2. To assess economic costs of the loss of biodiversity and its
associated ecosystem services, of the failure to take measures to fulfill
the three objectives of the Convention, and benefits of early action to
reduce loss of biological diversity and its associated ecosystem
services.
1.3. To improve priority-setting for guiding resource allocation to
biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services.
Goal 2: Strengthen national capacity for resource
utilization and mobilize domestic financial resources for the
Convention's three objectives
2.1 To strengthen institutional capacities for effective resource
mobilization and utilization, including strengthening capacities of
relevant ministries and agencies to make the case for including
biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services in discussions with
donors and relevant financial institutions.
2.2. To prepare national financial plans in the context of national
biodiversity strategies and action plans that can be implemented by
local, national, regional and international stakeholders.
2.3 To strengthen capacity for integration of biodiversity issues and its
associated ecosystem services into national and sectoral planning, and
promote budgetary allocations for biological diversity and its associated
ecosystem services in national and relevant sectoral budgets.
2.4. To develop and implement economic incentives that are supportive of
the Convention's three objectives at local and national levels, consistent and in harmony with the other relevant
international obligations.
2.5 To consider the enhancement of existing, or the establishment of new,
domestic funds and funding programmes through voluntary contributions,
including for official development assistance, where biodiversity is
identified as a priority by developing country Parties in poverty
reduction strategies, national development strategies, United Nations
development assistance frameworks and other development assistance
strategies, that include innovative financing instruments to achieve the
Convention's three objectives.
2.6. To establish enabling conditions for private sector involvement in
supporting the Convention's three objectives, including the financial
sector.
Goal 3: Strengthen existing financial
institutions and, promote replication and scaling-up of
successful financial mechanisms and instruments
3.1. To enhance efforts in mobilizing co-financing and other modes of
project financing for biological diversity.
3.2 To strive to increase official development assistance associated with
biological diversity, where biodiversity is identified as a priority by
developing country Parties in poverty reduction strategies, national
development strategies, United Nations development assistance frameworks
and other development assistance strategies and in accordance with
priorities identified in national biodiversity strategies and action
plans.
3.3. To mobilize public sector investments in biological diversity and its
associated ecosystem services.
3.4 To establish, as appropriate, new and additional funding programmes
through voluntary contributions to support the three objectives of the
Convention.
3.5 To fulfil the implementation of the provisions of the Monterrey
Consensus on mobilizing international and domestic funding as related to
biodiversity.
3.6. To continue to support, as appropriate, domestic environmental funds
as essential complements to the national biodiversity resource base.
3.7. To promote biological diversity in debt relief and conversion
initiatives, including debtfor-nature swaps.
Goal 4: Explore new and
innovative financial mechanisms at all levels with a view to increasing
fundingto support the three objectivesof theConvention
4.1. To promote, where applicable, schemes for payment for ecosystem
services, consistent and in harmony with the
Convention and other relevant international
obligations.
4.2. To consider biodiversity offset mechanisms where relevant and
appropriate while ensuring that they are not used to undermine unique
components of biodiversity.
4.3. To explore opportunities presented by environmental fiscal reforms
including innovative taxation models and fiscal incentives for achieving
the three objectives of the Convention.
4.4 To explore opportunities presented by promising innovative financial
mechanisms such as markets for green products, business-biodiversity
partnerships and new forms of charity.
4.5. To integrate biological diversity and its associated ecosystem
services in the development of new and innovative sources of
international development finance, taking into account conservation
costs.
4.6 To encourage the Parties to United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol to take into account biodiversity
when developing any funding mechanisms for climate change.
Goal 5: Mainstream biological diversity and its
associated ecosystem services in development cooperation plans and
priorities including the linkage between Convention's work programmes and
Millennium Development Goals
5.1. To integrate considerations on biological diversity and its
associated ecosystem services into the priorities, strategies and
programmes of multilateral and bilateral donor organizations, including
sectoral and regional priorities, taking into account the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
5.2 To integrate considerations on biological diversity and its associated
ecosystem services in economic and development plans, strategies and
budgets of developing country Parties.
5.3. To integrate effectively the three objectives of the Convention into
the United Nations development system, as well as international financial
institutions and development banks.
5.4. To strengthen cooperation and coordination among funding partners at
the regional and subregional levels, taking into account the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
5.5. To enhance financial, scientific, technical and technological
cooperation with international organizations, non-governmental
organizations, indigenous peoples' organizations and public institutions
for biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services.
Goal 6: Build capacity for resource mobilization
and utilization and promote South-South cooperation as a complement to
necessary North-South cooperation
6.1. To build local, national and regional capacities on resource
mobilization skills, financial planning and effective resource
utilization and management, and support awareness raising activities.
6.2. To identify, engage and increase South-South cooperation as
complement to North South cooperation to enhance technical,
technological, scientific and financial cooperation.
6.3 To promote exchange of experience and good practice in financing for
biological diversity.
Goal 7 Enhancing implementation of access and
benefit-sharing initiatives and mechanisms in support of resource
mobilization
7.1 To raise awareness and build the capacity of different stakeholders to
implement access and benefit-sharing initiatives and mechanisms.
7.2 To promote exchange of experiences and good practices in access and
benefit sharing.
Goal 8: Enhance the global engagement for
resource mobilization in support of the achievement of the Convention's
three objectives
8.1. To raise public awareness of the importance of biological diversity
and the goods and services that it provides at all levels in support of
resource mobilization.
V. IMPLEMENTATION
11. The effective implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization
will require an unremitting effort of all relevant stakeholders of the
Convention at all levels. Political will and commitment to better
recognize the importance of biological diversity in sustainable
development must be reinforced in order to achieve the funding target.
12. The strategy for resource mobilization is intended to assist Parties in
establishing national targets, goals and objectives as well as actions
and timeframes, and in considering the establishment of financial
mechanisms and other options, to implement the financial provisions of
the Convention at all levels, based on success stories and good
practices. Each Party should consider appointing a "resource mobilization
focal point" to facilitate national implementation of the strategy for
resource mobilization. National implementation should include, as
appropriate, the design and dissemination of a country-specific resource
mobilization strategy, with the involvement of key stakeholders such as
non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples and local communities,
environmental funds, businesses and donors, in the frame of updated
national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
13. The Global Environment Facility, in collaboration with the Executive
Secretary, is invited to consider how it can contribute to the
implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization, and report back
to the Conference of the Parties through the third meeting of the Working
Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, including
consideration of a plan to address the strategy for resource
mobilization, in consultation with the GEF implementing agencies;
14. The Conference of the Parties will review
the implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization at its
regular meetings, with the following focus:
| |
Focus issues |
Standing issues |
COP 9 |
Adoption of the strategy |
|
COP 10 |
Goals 1, 3 and 4 |
Goals 6 and 8 |
COP 11 |
Goals 2, 5 and 7 |
Goals 6 and 8 |
COP 12 |
Comprehensive review of the
implementation of the strategy |
|
15. The Executive Secretary should prepare periodic global monitoring reports
on the implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization, for
consideration by the Conference of the Parties, and promote, in
collaboration with the Global Environment Facility, exchange of
experience and good practice in financing for biological diversity.
C. Message on biological diversity and finance to the Follow-up
International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the
Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus
The Conference of the Parties,
Noting General Assembly resolution 62/187 of 19 December 2007 on
Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review
the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus adopted by the General
Assembly of the United Nations,
Highlighting the need for a full integration of financing for
biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services at the above-mentioned
Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development,
Having considered recommendation II/2, paragraph 3, of the Ad
Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the
Convention that, at its ninth meeting, the Conference of the Parties
should mandate its President to transmit a message on biodiversity and
financing for development to the Follow-up International Conference on
Financing for Development,
Taking note of the draft of the message prepared by the
Executive Secretary after informal consultations with Parties and
relevant organizations,
1. Adopts the message on finance and biological diversity annexed
to the present decision, as an input of the Convention on Biological
Diversity to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for
Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus to be
held in Doha from 29 November to 2 December 2008;
2. Requests the President of the ninth meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to transmit the message on finance and biological
diversity to the President of the United Nations General Assembly for
consideration by the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for
Development;
3. Instructs the Executive Secretary to promote awareness of the
message on finance and biological diversity and participate actively in
the process of the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for
Development, and report thereon to the Conference of the Parties at its
tenth meeting.
Annex
BONN MESSAGE ON FINANCE AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
We, the participants in the ninth meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Recalling that the Convention on Biological Diversity is the
foremost international legal instrument for the conservation of
biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair
and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of
genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources
and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account
all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate
funding,
Deeply concerned by the unprecedented rate of loss of
biodiversity and associated decline in ecosystem services of our planet
and its far-reaching environmental, social, economic and cultural
impacts, exacerbated by the negative impacts of climate change,
Deeply concerned also that the consequences of biodiversity loss
and ecosystem disruption are harshest for the poor and that biodiversity
loss and degradation of ecosystem services pose a significant barrier to
achieving sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals,
Recalling the urgent need to redouble efforts to meet the 2010
biodiversity target of achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the
rate of loss of biodiversity,
Emphasizing that the enhanced phase of implementation of the
three objectives of the Convention requires that biodiversity
considerations be mainstreamed into national development and
povertyreduction plans, policies and strategies, as well as into
development-cooperation planning,
Highlighting the need to integrate financing for
biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services into the decisions of
the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to
Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, to be held in Doha
from 29 November to 2 December 2008,
Hereby declare that its elements should include the following:
1. Governments and relevant organizations should increase financial
resources for the effective and efficient implementation of national
biodiversity strategies and action plans, in particular to achieve the
2010 biodiversity target as part of Goal 7, on environmental
sustainability, of the Millennium Development Goals, taking into account
the strategy on resource mobilization in support of the Convention's
three objectives, as adopted by the ninth meeting of the Conference of
the Parties, in Bonn;
2. The international development and financial cooperation system,
including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, regional
development banks and bilateral development agencies, as well as the
United Nations funds, programmes and agencies, are invited to increase
direct investment and technical assistance in biodiversity projects and
strive to mainstream biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services
considerations into their overall programme of work to maximize potential
for synergy;
3. Governments and relevant organizations should integrate into their
strategies for poverty reduction and development the contribution of
biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services, to poverty
eradication, national development and human well-being, as well as the
economic, social, cultural, and other values of biodiversity as
emphasized in the Convention on Biological Diversity;
4. Governments and relevant organizations should support the development
and completion for adoption of an international regime on access and
benefit-sharing, by 2010, in the framework of the Convention on
Biological Diversity;
5. Governments and relevant organizations should develop and implement
effective and innovative mechanisms, at local, national and international
levels to promote the three objectives of the Convention, taking into
account the value of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it
generates, and the contribution of indigenous peoples and local
communities in maintaining it, including their rights to use their
natural resources;
6. The business community, including the financial-services sector, should
be encouraged to fully engage in the implementation of the three
objectives of the Convention;
7. South-South cooperation should be encouraged as an effective
complementary tool to North South cooperation, to promote the transfer of
technology and new flows of technical and financial resources to achieve
the three objectives of the Convention.
13/ Such as data from the national reports, the OECD Rio
markers, funding to GEF, and a selection of the larger international
conservation NGOs.
14/ This study is coordinated by the European Commission and
Germany
15/ For example, those that have been developed through the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the UN Poverty and Environment
Initiative,
16/ Germany offered to finance the operation of the Ad Hoc
Technical Expert Group on Innovative Financial Mechanisms.
