WGRI Recommendation
. Report on progress related to business engagement
5/4Report on progress related to business engagement
The Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention recommends that the Conference of the Parties, at its twelfth meeting, adopt a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties,
Acknowledging the ongoing development of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity and acknowledging the pioneering work done by some Parties in engaging with businesses towards the implementation of the Convention, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of national and regional initiatives on business and biodiversity,
Taking note of the results and recommendations stemming from the Third Meeting of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity, held in Montreal, Canada, on 2 and 3 October 2013,
Noting the upcoming business forum, which will include the next meeting of the Global Partnership, during the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to be held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea,
Recognizing that the active participation of the business sector is important to the achievement of sustainable development,
Acknowledging that the majority of companies around the world are not aware of the importance or the benefits of biodiversity to their affairs or of the positive effects of mainstreaming the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into their business models and into supply chains,
Understanding the importance of engaging small and medium enterprises with respect to biodiversity, especially in developing countries, and their need for capacity-building and support,
Noting that gaps exist with regard to reporting on business activities and that additional data, as well as a typology of action by business, are needed to help make informed decisions regarding business engagement,
Appreciating the important ongoing work being done on the topic of biotrade by various organizations,
Understanding that sustainable procurement, both public and private, can be a major driver of change across many business sectors and should thus be encouraged,
Recognizing the key role of Governments in the protection, and optimization of the management, of biodiversity, and of living in harmony with nature,
1.Invites Parties, taking into account their national policies, needs and priorities:
(a)To work, in conjunction with stakeholders and other organizations, to develop innovative mechanisms to support the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity and its associated national and regional initiatives;
(b)To cooperate with the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity and its associated national and regional initiatives in order to assist reporting by businesses regarding their efforts to mainstream the objectives of the Convention and its associated Protocols, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to provide this information through the clearing-house mechanism, while also providing a global summary to the Conference of the Parties at future meetings;
(c)To seek to foster public and private partnerships, in consultation with civil society, to promote the development and implementation of biodiversity strategies within the business sector, including on resource mobilization, and to strengthen capacity-building;
(d)To strengthen, through partnerships, local community activities in order to effectively implement the objectives of the Convention and its related protocols, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity 2011-2020;
(e)To continue work to create an enabling environment, building on existing decisions, such that businesses can effectively implement the objectives of the Convention and its associated Protocols, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, taking into account the needs of small and medium enterprises and designing appropriate frameworks to address these needs with respect to social and environmental responsibility;
(f)To promote the consideration of biodiversity and ecosystem services related to business in other relevant multilateral forums, and endeavour to have these issues integrated, to the degree possible, into their considerations and outcomes, respecting the mandates of such forums;
2.Encourages businesses:
(a)To analyse the impacts of business decisions and operations on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and prepare action plans for integrating biodiversity into their operations;
(b)To include in their reporting frameworks considerations related to biodiversity and ecosystem services and ensure that the actions taken by companies, including the activities of their supply chains, are captured, taking into account the objectives of the Convention, goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(c)To enhance the capacity of senior levels of management, line staff, and supply chains, with regard to information on the benefits of, and impacts on, biodiversity and ecosystem services;
(d)To integrate biodiversity considerations into procurement policies;
(e)To actively engage in the resource mobilization strategy of the Convention on Biological Diversity to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
3.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, in addition to the work specified in previous decisions:
(a)To support Parties, in particular in developing countries, in their efforts to promote the integration of biodiversity considerations into the business sector;
(b)To assist the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity and its associated national and regional initiatives, as appropriate and in conjunction with other programmes, in establishing a typology of actions in developing reports on the progress of biodiversity mainstreaming by businesses for the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention at its sixth meeting and the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting, through, among other means, the convening of a technical workshop on reporting frameworks in this area;
(c)To assist the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity and its associated national and regional initiatives in order to support capacity-building for businesses with a view to mainstreaming biodiversity into business decisions;
(d)To expand the role of the Global Partnership on Business and Biodiversity and work to articulate the role of the business sector in implementation of the individual Aichi Targets, through identifying key milestones in the lead up to 2020 and developing guidance for business to support implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
(e)To promote cooperation and synergies with other forums regarding issues that are relevant for biodiversity and business engagement with respect to, inter alia, commodity indicators and sustainable production and consumption;
(f)To compile information and analyse best practices, standards and research about ecosystem service valuation, to facilitate assessments of the contributions by business to achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to assist in the dissemination of this information to various relevant forums in order to maximize the benefits for business and biodiversity.
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