Notification 2007-120

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that the thirteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-13) will be held from 18 to 22 February 2008 at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), located at Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, in Rome, Italy. You will find attached the provisional agenda of the meeting, as adopted by the SBSTTA-12 meeting held in Paris, France, from 2 to 6 July 2007, in Annex II of its final report. The annotated provisional agenda and the Information Note for Participants are available at the CBD website at the following address http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=SBSTTA-13. Designation of representatives to attend the meeting should be submitted through official letters to be addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat and sent, preferably through diplomatic channels, by fax (+1 514-288-6588) or as scanned email attachments addressed to secretariat@cbd.int as soon as possible, but no later than 28 January 2008. Without an official notification from representatives of contracting Parties nominated to attend the meeting, indicating the names, titles and contacts of delegates and including the head of the delegation, registration will not be possible. Subject to the availability of contributions to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ), the Secretariat will finance the participation of one representative from eligible Parties who are kindly requested to advise the Secretariat at their earliest convenience, but no later than 31 December 2007, of the name and coordinates of the Government’s officially designated representative to benefit from such financial support. It will not be possible for the Secretariat to respond positively to request for funding received after the deadline. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration PROVISIONAL AGENDA 1. Opening of the meeting. 2. Election of officers, adoption of the agenda and organization of work. 3. In-depth review of the implementation of the programmes of work on: 3.1. Agricultural biodiversity; 3.2 Forest biodiversity. 4. Scientific and technical issues of relevance to the implementation of the 2010 target: 4.1 Marine and coastal biodiversity: options for preventing and mitigating the impact of some activities to selected seabed habitats, and ecological criteria and biogeographical classification systems of marine areas in need of protection; 4.2 Biological diversity of inland water ecosystems: recent developments on Ramsar site designation criteria, streamlining the work and harmonization of national reporting frameworks between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention; 4.3 Invasive alien species: report on consultations regarding international standards; 4.4 Climate change: options for mutually supportive actions addressing climate change within the three Rio conventions; 4.5 New and emerging issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. 5. Draft provisional agendas, dates, and venues the fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice. 6. Adoption of the report and closure of the meeting.

Executive Secretary

To: all SBSTTA Focal Points and CBD National Focal Points