Notification 2011-238

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that a Capacity-building Workshop for North Africa and the Middle East on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) will be held in Beirut, Lebanon, from 21 to 23 February 2012. This workshop is organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through its Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), in close coordination with the UNEP TEEB Office, the League of Arab States, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). The workshop will be hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) at its premises in Beirut. The workshop is one of a series of regional and sub-regional capacity building workshops, organized, pursuant to requests of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and other relevant organizations, with a view to support countries in making use of the findings of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study, in integrating the values of biodiversity into relevant national and local policies, programmes and planning processes, and in promoting the exchange among practitioners on practical experiences on incentive measures (decisions X/2, paragraphs 17 (e) and (f), X/44, paragraph 7). The workshop seeks to contribute to achieving the following objectives: • To provide decision-makers in the region with economic arguments for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as with information on state-of-the-art tools that enhance the quality of decision-making processes regarding conservation and sustainable use, including on financial tools; • To promote synergies and enhanced cooperation among relevant policy areas and sectors by mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services; • To support the revision and review or update of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in light of the new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (decision X/2, paragraph 3 (c)), in particular with regard to Aichi Targets 2 and 3, as well as other relevant Targets. In light of the above, I am pleased to invite you to nominate two officials of your Government who will participate in this workshop, one from the Ministry of the Environment (or equivalent) and one preferably from the finance, economic, development planning or similar ministry. The latter nominee should be in a position to share significant experiences in mainstreaming biodiversity into national development plans. Both nominees proposed should be in a position to translate the capacity gained into concrete actions in support of national implementation. The nominations should be submitted in the form of an official signed letter addressed to the Executive Secretary and should clearly identify the names and full contact information, including the email address of representatives. The letter can either be scanned and emailed as a PDF attachment to the Secretariat at secretariat@cbd.int or faxed at + 1 514 288 6588, and should reach the Secretariat no later than 15 January 2012. Please be informed that the participation of two representatives from each eligible country will be supported with direct, economy-class round-trip ticket and a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for the duration of the workshop, to be provided in accordance with relevant UN rules. Documents for this workshop will be made available in due course. The workshop will be held in Arabic and English. Please be informed that the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through its regional project Silva Mediterranea-CPMF, will provide additional support for the participation of the forest administrations of the pertinent countries. To this effect, GIZ will issue a separate invitation. We look forward to receiving your nominations as soon as possible, and I thank you in advance for your support and cooperation. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD Focal Points of: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and relevant organizations