Notification 2011-189

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that, thanks to the financial support provided by Japan and other donors, a regional capacity-building workshop for the regional and local coordination of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) for Mediterranean Countries will be held in Montpellier, France, from 17 to 19 January 2012. The workshop is organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), the City of Montpellier and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. This workshop is part of a series of regional and sub-regional capacity-building workshops being organized in 2011 and 2012. The purpose of the workshops is to strengthen national capacities for the development, implementation, review, updating and communication of NBSAPs; to help facilitate national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; and to generate national targets and commitments (Decision X/2, paragraph 17). The workshop will also provide an introduction to other COP-10 outcomes. In addition to the above and in line with the request of the Conference of the Parties at its tenth meeting to support local and sub-national governments, this workshop will take a unique approach by being held, at times in parallel and at times in combination, with the participation of local and sub-national government representatives from all of the countries invited. The purpose of this combined workshop is (i) to strengthen local and sub-national governance of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin, (ii) establish links between local policies and national biodiversity strategies, and to (iii) establish a Mediterranean network of cities engaged in biodiversity, which would support national level implementation of the CBD. Due to this third objective, representatives of sub-national and local governments are invited to stay for one additional day, Friday, January 20, 2012. In line with the Decision IX/28 and X/22, this workshop will support efforts to promote recognition by national governments and international organizations on the crucial role that local and sub-national governments play in the protection of biodiversity. As host, the City Government of Montpellier is kindly inviting their twin cities of Fes (Morocco), Barcelona (Spain), Tlemcen (Algeria), Tiberias (Israel) and Salern (Italy). Therefore, the concerned Parties are asked to indicate other regions and cities for participation. To optimize output and avoid duplication, this workshop will consider the guidance of the 1975 Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP, see http://www.unepmap.org/) and its associated Barcelona Convention for Protection against Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (see http://www.unep.ch/regionalseas/regions/med/t_barcel.htm), the various agreements under the Regional Seas programme (see http://www.unep.ch/regionalseas/legal/conlist.htm), as well as the Mediterranean Blue Plan (see http://www.planbleu.org/planBleu/cadreInstitutionnelUk.html) and regional chapters of other multilateral agreements such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Please also note that the workshop will be held in French and English, with interpretation provided. In light of the above, I am pleased to invite you to nominate two or three representatives of your country to participate in this workshop: one from national government and one or two from local and/or sub-national government. The nomination should be in the form of an official letter addressed to the CBD Executive Secretary signed by yourself, or a senior government official, and should contain the nominee’s name and full contact information, including email addresses. This letter can either be scanned and emailed to secretariat@cbd.int or faxed to the Secretariat at + 1 514 288 6588, no later than October 31, 2011. The Secretariat will support two participants from each country eligible for financial support under the CBD, with economy-class round-trip tickets and daily subsistence allowances for the duration of the workshop to be provided in accordance with relevant UN rules. In submitting nominations, Parties are requested to note that one participant should be responsible for the development, updating and/or implementation of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan, and be in a position to translate the capacity gained into concrete actions at the level of the Mediterranean basin. The other participant(s) should be sub-national and/or local authorities (Regions, States, municipal governments, at the level of Secretaries of Environment or International Relations) and should be in a position to support the development, updating and/or implementation of sub-national biodiversity strategies and action plans, or related development and poverty reduction strategies and plans also considering relevant sectors directly related to the Mediterranean basin. Upon receipt of nominations, further information on travel and hotel arrangements will be duly communicated. We look forward to receiving your early nominations. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points of the following countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Serbia, Spain, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia.