LifeWeb

Guidance for Convening Rountable Meetings in Collaboration with CBD LifeWeb

To sharpen priorities and strengthen financial cooperation for protected area systems.

Download the Roundtable "Terms of Reference" information here: English | French | Spanish

Mandate

Decision X/31 (11-12) of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, that was held in Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010,

Encourages developing country partners, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, to express their protected area system-wide and project funding needs based on their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and action plans for the Programme of Work on Protected Areas, including through the LifeWeb Initiative

Encouragesdonors and Parties to hold sub-regional and national donor roundtable meetings to support mobilization of funding based on national biodiversity strategies and action plans for the Programme of Work on Protected Areas, involving relevant funding institutions in collaboration with the CBD LifeWeb Initiative; and

Urges donors and countries in a position to do so to support these funding needs, taking into account the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

Furthermore, decision VIII/24 (18a):

Invites Parties, as a matter of urgency, to organize national and regional protected area financing round tables of donors and recipient governments, for achievement of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas.

Readiness Criteria

Based on experience to date, the following factors are crucial for hosting a successful financing roundtable with the CBD LifeWeb Initiative:

Clearly-defined vision of priorities for protected area systems to sustain biodiversity, address climate change challenges, and secure livelihoods. These priorities should be based on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and action plans for implementing the Programme of Work on Protected Areas. The priorities should specify the set of geographic and thematic priorities for the next 3 to 5 years and articulate detailed budget requirements to meet this vision.
Expression of Interest submitted to the CBD LifeWeb clearing-house based on the vision of priorities.
Political will demonstrated by recent actions or firm commitments by host government to their protected area system. This may be conveyed by, for example:
- Ministerial-level statement of commitment for increasing protected area coverage;
- increasing domestic budget to improve management of new and existing areas;
- allocation of a significant portion of their GEF5 allocation to this project; and/or
- establishment of new policies or regulations to create or implement payment for ecosystem services.
Potential donor interest indicated by some cooperation partners willing to engage in the financing roundtable process.
Relevance to the national agenda for international development cooperation, including an articulation of how the financing roundtables compliment ongoing development cooperation processes, with involvement of the relevant authorities.^*

* To be relevant to development cooperation, the priorities conveyed in roundtable meetings should be consistent with the broader set of national priorities discussed in ongoing development cooperation negotiations with bilateral and multilateral partners. Moreover, roundtable meetings should be designed with involvement of the Ministries/agencies responsible for development cooperation in the host countries.

Purpose of Financing Roundtables

Protected areas are widely recognised as a powerful tool to sustain biodiversity, address climate change, and secure livelihoods. However, insufficient funding is a significant barrier to realising this potential, especially in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition. With this in mind, experience to date of roundtables organised in collaboration with the CBD LifeWeb Initiative has demonstrated that they can contribute to:

Strengthening alignment of donor funding with recipient priorities.^*(Consistent with Principle #1 of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness on ownership)
Providing input to broader and ongoing development cooperation discussions by improving explicit understanding of recipient country’s priorities for their protected area system, as well as the ecosystem services and contributions to national development that these areas can provide. (Consistent with Principle #2 of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness on alignment)
Maximising impact and efficiency of investments, by identifying coordination and funding leverage opportunities among different donors. (Consistent with Principle #3 of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness on harmonization)
Strengthening domestic political commitment of host countries to biodiversity and protected area systems, by providing a platform to champion these efforts with the international community.

* Preparation and follow-through of the financing roundtables are owned and lead by the recipient country government(s), with a section below detailing actions required. The CBD Secretariat, through the CBD LifeWeb Initiative Coordination Office, can support Parties in these efforts with technical guidance based on experience in other countries, highlighting relevance to COP Decisions and international trends, as well as recognising and profiling successful partnerships.

Suggested Actions and Timeline

Actions Prior to Roundtable meeting	Timeline
1. Agreement within and among the relevant host(s)* on how the financing roundtable can reinforce existing development cooperation processes.	4-5 months prior
2. Host(s) invite the CBD Executive Secretariat to support them in holding a national or sub-regional financing roundtable.^**	4-5 months prior
3. The host(s) and the CBD LifeWeb jointly define dates, venue and agenda for a financing roundtable.	4-5 months prior
4. Host(s) prepare donor invitation list for the financing roundtable, with input from the CBD LifeWeb.	4 months prior
5. Invitations, co-signed by the host(s) and the CBD Executive Secretary, are sent to donor partners by the host government.	3 months prior
6. Host(s) submit a draft Expression of Interest to the CBD LifeWeb Initiative, and gain informal feedback from the SCBD about any suggested adjustments.	3 months prior
7. Host(s) officially submit Expression of Interest to the CBD LifeWeb Initiative, and send it to all invitees in order for them to prepare for the meeting.	2 months prior
8. An agenda for the meeting is drafted by the host governments and the CBD LifeWeb Initiative, and distributed by the hosts to all invitees.	1 month prior
Actions During Roundtable meeting
1. Host(s) present their detailed vision of priorities described in their Expression of Interest, using a PowerPoint presentation, maps, tables and other means as appropriate.	During meeting
2. Statement by the CBD Executive Secretary and a technical presentation by SCBD outlines the international roundtable mandate, progress in other regions, and trends in protected area financing.
3. International cooperation partners are invited to comment on the relevance of these priorities to their cooperation focus and indicate any intention to support them.
4. Specific steps for follow-up are defined.
Actions After Roundtable meeting
1. Proceedings from the meeting are sent by the host(s) to all participants and invitees, with further messages sent by the CBD Secretariat to donor agencies.	2 weeks after
2. The CBD Secretariat provides a description of the roundtable on the CBD Website, including all presentations, the EOI, agenda, participants list, pictures, etc.	2 weeks after
3. Active follow-up between host country(ies) and interested development cooperation partners, on a bilateral basis, as per existing cooperation mechanisms.	Ongoing
4. Host(s) identify and convey to the CBD LifeWeb any financial support provided that is consistent with priorities conveyed through the roundtable.	Ongoing
5. The CBD LifeWeb and the host(s) announce any relevant financial support provided through events, joint press releases, websites and other communications materials.	Ongoing

* The hosts are typically the recipient government(s). In the case of financing roundtables that involve more than one country, a regional technical support partner may support national governments in implementing some of these actions, and be considered a co-host, as appropriate.

** To maximise impact and minimise costs, when possible, it is beneficial to hold the financing roundtable concurrently with a broader CBD meeting, including workshops on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas.