Notification 2015-024

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate a representative to participate in the West Africa Regional Workshop of the UN-Water Initiative “Capacity Development to Support National Drought Management Policies”, to be held from 4 to 7 May 2015, in Accra, Ghana. At its tenth meeting, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) urged Parties to develop, revise and implement drought management plans taking into account the impact of drought and desertification on biodiversity, including through risk management and management of biodiversity for the prevention of drought and desertification (decision X/35). At its twelfth meeting, the COP encouraged Parties and invited other Governments and relevant organizations to promote and implement ecosystem-based approaches to climate change related activities and disaster risk reduction, in both terrestrial and marine environments, and to integrate these into their policies and programmes, as appropriate, in the context of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015 (decision XII/20). In the same decision, the COP requested the Executive Secretary to promote ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, taking advantage of opportunities presented by relevant processes and forums, in cooperation with relevant organizations. In 2013, the CBD Secretariat joined the UN-Water Initiative “Capacity Development to Support National Drought Management Policies”, established jointly by the World Meteorological Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development and the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Thanks to the generous financial contribution from the European Commission, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity is in the position to support the participation of a limited number of CBD-nominated experts to the Initiative’s regional workshop for West Africa. Please note that a selection among nominations received will be made taking into consideration the following criteria: (i) Experience in ecosystem management for disaster risk reduction, including drought management; (ii) Experience with updating and/or implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP); (iii) After the workshop, the representative should be in a position to translate the knowledge gained into concrete actions; and (iv) Availability to prepare together with other participants from their country a preliminary synopsis on the status of drought and its management in their country (more information will be sent to selected participants in due course). To nominate a representative, please provide an official letter signed by the focal point or a senior government official, together with the completed attached nomination form. Kindly submit nominations as soon as possible but no later than 31 March 2015, by e-mail at secretariat@cbd.int or by fax at: +1 514 288 6588. I look forward to receiving your nominations and I thank you for your cooperation. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD NFPs from: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Togo