Notification 2012-103

Dear Madam/Sir, The Fourth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation (WGRI-4) welcomed the establishment of a high-level panel on global assessment of resources for implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and invited the panel to report to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Recommendation 4/2). The main objectives of the High-Level Panel are: • At the global level, to present findings of the assessment of resources needed to achieve the 20 Aichi targets (Decision X/2) in the timeframe up to COP-11 – recognizing that a comprehensive assessment may not be possible, but a credible assessment of current knowledge will be valuable at this stage; • To highlight investments and ongoing cost estimates related to the benefits of biodiversity and current funding streams to facilitate discussions on resource needs; and • To provide recommendations of future work which would help Parties better understand how they can finance the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Recognizing that this is the first assessment of its type since agreement of the Aichi targets, the High-Level Panel (co-sponsored by the Governments of India and the UK) is being supported by research contracts issued by the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which aim to provide some of the underpinning evidence required for the Panel to report as requested. UNEP-WCMC and ICF GHK have been selected by Defra to provide an aggregated estimate of the costs of meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. This will bring together 10 reviews based on different ‘clusters’ of the 20 Aichi Targets being undertaken by different groups while ensuring synergies between the related clusters and taking into account overlap of targets. The High-Level Panel will be expected to guide and review this research. Given the paucity of data and information related to flows of resources and funding gaps to biodiversity, the High-Level Panel is expected to develop a plausible range of estimates that can be aggregated to coherent global values. As well as working with other on-going projects in this field through UNEP-WCMC, the Panel will benefit from the financial needs assessment for the sixth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) conducted by five international experts representing developed and developing countries, and NGOs. The Panel is announcing steps to start its work in a transparent manner and thereby organizing a one-day open consultation, prior to its first physical meeting, on 2 August 2012, hosted by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The consultation, to be held from 11.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (UK time), will be open to all Parties through webinar. CBD Focal points will be able to send comments, questions or contributions to the panel members electronically, which the Panel will attempt to answer during the webinar itself if possible or on the CBD website afterwards. Details of how to access the webinar and send comments will be circulated in due course. The Panel also aims to make a presentation on the emerging findings from this work at the second informal global dialogue seminar on scaling up finance for biodiversity, organized by the CBD Secretariat on 3-4 September 2012. This dialogue seminar will invite nominations from all Parties. A further notification on this meeting will be issued shortly. Thank you in advance for contributing your expertise and valuable time to this very important goal of the CBD. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: All CBD National Focal Points