Notification 2016-022

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of this notification is to draw your attention to the eighth Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity, entitled “Food systems for a sustainable future: Interlinkages between biodiversity and agriculture”, which will be held on 31 May – 3 June 2016 in Trondheim, Norway. The conference will be hosted by the Government of Norway in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank. The conference is expected to bring together over 350 participants. Since 1993, the Trondheim Conferences have advanced a scientifically informed dialogue on critical issues on the agenda of the Convention. The need to mainstream biodiversity into other sectors has been widely recognized by Parties, and this year's conference will explore the interrelationships between biodiversity and the food and agriculture sector, with a view to identifying approaches for the achievement of mutually beneficial and sustainable outcomes, in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The eighth Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity is expected to make an important contribution to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and contribute to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Cancun, Mexico in December 2016. A summary of the conference programme is attached and the detailed conference programme will be published shortly on the conference webpage (http://www.trondheimconference.org). The conference will be conducted in English. On behalf of the Government of Norway, His Excellency Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Environment, is inviting all Parties to the Convention and Member States of the United Nations to be represented at the conference. Two representatives from each country may attend the conference. As the conference aims to foster a cross-sectoral exchange of ideas, Governments are invited to designate one national expert from the biodiversity sector and one from the agricultural sector. Representatives from eligible countries will receive assistance to attend the conference. Such assistance will be available, upon request, for a limited total number of participants. From each country, one expert from each of the sectors may apply for such assistance. Invitations are also being sent to relevant United Nations entities and to selected international organizations and institutions that are involved in supporting the implementation of the CBD. Further information on the conference, including online registration and visa procedures, is available on the conference webpage (http://www.trondheimconference.org) and can also be obtained by contacting the Conference Secretariat in the Norwegian Environment Agency at trondheimconference@miljodir.no. The deadline for online registration is 31 March 2016. Kindly note that all registrations should be accompanied by an official letter from the CBD National Focal Point.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations