Notification 2012-047

Dear Madam/Sir, In Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Parties undertook to respect, preserve and maintain the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and promote their wider application with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices. This commitment and other related provisions of the Convention have led to a rich body of decisions requesting capacity building for indigenous and local communities to ensure their effective participation in Convention processes. The more recent decisions include: 1. Decision IX 13 D, concerning the plan of action for the retention of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, in which Parties decided that the priority for future work on the plan of action should focus on section E, on capacity-building; and 2. Decision X, 40 A, concerning the mechanisms to promote the effective participation of indigenous and local communities in the work of the Convention, in which Parties decided to encourage the Secretariat to continue its efforts to facilitate the effective implementation of decisions regarding capacity-building (See decisions IX/13 D and E, as well as VIII/5 B and C and VII/16 annex, and V/16, annex II, task 4.) through workshops using a train-the–trainer methodology and extending opportunities to all regions, with a view to increasing the number of indigenous and local community representatives, particularly women, who are familiar with and participate in the work of the Convention, including its implementation at the national and local level. Pursuant to the above decisions, and with sincere thanks to the generous financial support of the Governments of Spain and Japan and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, I am pleased to announce that the Secretariat of the CBD is organizing a series of regional capacity building workshops for the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC), Africa and Asia/Pacific Regions in collaboration with regional partners. These regional workshops aim to improve the numbers of indigenous and local community representatives, with an emphasis on women, effectively involved in the CBD processes, as well as to build their capacity to do so. These regional workshops will focus on Articles 8(j), 10©, and related provisions, as well as the Nagoya Protocol, and aim at preparing indigenous and local communities for the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties, which will be held in Hyderabad, India, on 8 19 October 2012. A provisional calendar of the series of workshops for 2012 is attached. A further notification for each workshop will be circulated approximately three months before the workshop requesting nominations from indigenous and local community organizations. Indigenous and local community organizations are strongly encouraged to nominate indigenous and local community trainers, to assist strengthening the workshops, train-the-trainer methodology, to further disseminate information through indigenous and local community networks in each of the sub-regions. The Secretariat looks forward to receiving nominations in due course. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD Focal Points and ICNP Focal Points, Indigenous and local communities, and International organizations and relevant stakeholders.