Notification 2011-223

Dear Madam/Sir, Further to paragraph 15 of decision X/44 on incentive measures, notification 2011-014, sent on 18 January 2011, invited Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations and stakeholders to report to the Executive Secretary, by 5 January 2012 latest, progress made, difficulties encountered, and lessons learned, in implementing the work spelled out in decision X/44 on incentive measures. Notification 2011-014 is available at https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2011/ntf-2011-014-incentive-en.pdf ) Please note that, due to the tight timeline for the preparation of the documentation for the sixteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-16), an extension of this deadline will not be possible. I therefore, wish to invite you to submit, as appropriate and at your earliest convenience but no later than 5 January 2012, information on the activities undertaken by your country or organization listed below: (a) taking measures, and establishing, or enhancing, mechanisms with a view to account for the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services in public and private sector decision making, including by revising and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans to further engage different sectors of government and the private sector, building on the work of the TEEB initiative, the UNDP regional initiative on the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems for sustained growth and equity in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other relevant initiatives; (b) undertaking similar studies at the national level; © identifying, eliminating, phasing out, or reforming, with a view to minimize or avoid negative impacts from, existing harmful incentives for sectors that can potentially affect biodiversity, taking into account target 3 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; (d) promoting the design and implementation, in all key economic sectors, of positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that are effective, transparent, targeted, appropriately monitored, cost-efficient as well as consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, and that do not generate perverse incentives, taking into account, as appropriate, the range of positive incentive measures identified in the report for policy-makers of the TEEB initiative, the polluter pays principle and the associated full-cost recovery principle, as well as the livelihood of indigenous and local communities; (e) engaging with businesses and enterprises on ways and means to contribute to the national implementation of the Convention, including through the design and implementation, with their participation, of direct and indirect positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (f) implementing sustainable consumption and production patterns for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, both in the public and the private sector, including through business and biodiversity initiatives, procurement policies that are in line with the objectives of the Convention, and development of methods to promote science-based information on biodiversity in consumer and producer decisions, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations; (g) building or enhancing national capacities for assessing the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services, for identifying and removing or mitigating perverse incentives, and for the design and implementation of positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (h) otherwise supporting the efforts at global, regional and national levels in identifying and removing or mitigating perverse incentives, in promoting positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and in assessing the values of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. As per paragraph 16 of decision X/44, the information submitted will be disseminated through the clearing house mechanism of the Convention, and a progress report will be prepared by the Secretariat, which will synthesize and analyse the information submitted for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its sixteenth meeting. I thank you for your cooperation and continued support to the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD NFPs, relevant international organizations and stakeholders