Promoting business engagement
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling its decision VIII/17,
Noting with appreciation the initiative of the Portuguese
Presidency of the Council of the European Union of holding a highlevel
conference on business and biodiversity in November 2007,
Welcoming the efforts of Germany, including through its Business
and Biodiversity Initiative, to mobilize the business community for the
ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties,
Welcoming the support of the Netherlands for the organization of
a third informal "business and the 2010 biodiversity challenge" meeting,
to further develop ideas that could best be pursued through the
Convention or in support of its objectives, for engaging business in
biodiversity issues, as a means of working towards the 2010 target,
Noting with appreciation the efforts of the Secretariat to
engage the business community, including through the designation of a
focal point for business,
Recognizing the potential impacts of business operations on
biodiversity and the role that the business community and civil society
need to play for the implementation of the three objectives of the
Convention, at all levels,
1. Invites Parties, as appropriate, to improve actions and
cooperation for enhancing the engagement of the business community,
including small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular through the
development of public-private partnerships, in the implementation of the
three objectives of the Convention;
2. Urges Parties to continue to raise awareness on the business
case for biodiversity;
3. Encourages public and private financial institutions to
include biodiversity considerations into all investments and to create
investment schemes to promote sustainable business activities;
4. Requests the Global Environment Facility, and invites Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations
to support capacity-building in developing countries, in particular the
least developed and the small island developing States among them, and
Parties with economies in transition, for engaging the business community
in the implementation of the Convention;
5. Welcomes the framework for priority actions to be undertaken
by the Secretariat contained in the annex to the present decision,
subject to the availability of resources, and requests the
Executive Secretary, where possible and appropriate, to take into account
relevant initiatives by Parties and organizations.
Annex
FRAMEWORK OF PRIORITY ACTIONS ON BUSINESS, 2008-2010
1. While there has been notable progress in mobilizing the business
community on biodiversity since the eighth meeting of the Conference of
the Parties, relatively few companies, in particular small and
medium-sized enterprises, are aware of the business and biodiversity
linkages or the relevance to business of negotiations carried out under
the Convention. With this in mind, and following on from decision
VIII/17, the present note sets out the priority actions to be undertaken
by the Secretariat in the period 2008-2010:
Priority area 1: Build and promote the business case for
biodiversity
2. Continue the compilation and dissemination of information on the business
case for biodiversity, including experiences generated in the framework
of the UNCTAD Biotrade Initiative, through the clearing-house mechanism,
the CBD newsletter on business, and mainstream business forums.
3. Develop options for incorporating biodiversity into course curricula,
including through the development of case-studies and other teaching
material.
Priority area 2: Disseminate tools and best practice
4. In collaboration with relevant organizations, such as the International
Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance,
compile information on the use and impact of international voluntary
certification schemes towards the implementation of the objectives of the
Convention and develop knowledge sharing and technical assistance tools
to encourage the wider uptake of best practice. Activities would further
include:
(a) Compile, specifically in relation to small and medium-sized enterprises,
experiences and practices that foster the sustainable use of biological
resources that have been developed and implemented by Parties;
(b) Make the information available through the clearinghouse mechanism;
5. In collaboration with relevant organizations and initiatives, such as the
Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP), compile and/or make
available: (a) casestudies; (b) methodologies; tools and guidelines on
biodiversity offsets; and (c) relevant national and regional policy
frameworks'
6. Disseminate tools and best practice of companies involved in biotrade.
7. Compile and disseminate, including through the clearing-house mechanism
and the Convention's newsletter on business, information on procurement policies
that are in line with the objectives of the Convention.
