Decision COP XI/29

Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative

The Conference of the Parties,

1. Emphasizes that the new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets provide the overall framework for the Convention until 2020 and should guide the future work of all of the Convention’s cross-cutting issues and thematic areas, and acknowledges the importance of the Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative in this context;

2. Welcomes the revised Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative in support of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;

3. Invites Parties and other Governments to integrate, as appropriate, in a timely manner, the actions of the Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative in their updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), noting that taxonomic capacity-building requires multidisciplinary participation, including participation of indigenous and local communities, as appropriate;

4. Invites taxonomic and other relevant organizations, including, inter alia, taxonomic networks, natural history museums and other scientific institutions and partners that contribute to the capacity-building strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative to pay particular attention to the achievement of the outcome-oriented deliverables for the implementation of the programme of work for the Global Taxonomy Initiative annexed to decision IX/22;

5. Further invites these organizations and Parties to make particular efforts to train, sustain, enhance and increase human resources for creating inventories, monitoring biodiversity and further taxonomic information, as well as to build and maintain publicly available information systems and facilities for biological collections subject to national legislation of Parties, as appropriate;

6. Recognizing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of biodiversity, encourages collaboration between taxonomic and other institutions and organizations and application of new methodologies and techniques to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 19;

7. Recognizes the importance of increasing the scientific standing of taxonomic research, strengthening taxonomic expertise, in particular on lesser studied or known groups, and that creating the demand for taxonomic information is an important step in responding to decision X/39, that, inter alia, encourages job opportunities and incentives for young taxonomists;

8. Encourages the scientific community to give more recognition to taxonomic publications;

9. Requests Parties to report on the effectiveness of their capacity-building efforts to support the implementation of the Global Taxonomy Initiative through their fifth and sixth national reports under the Convention and requests the Executive Secretary to report on progress in implementing the Global Taxonomy Initiative, based on national reports submitted by Parties to the corresponding meetings of the Conference of the Parties;

10. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of financial resources, to organize and facilitate, as far as feasible in partnership with academic organizations, biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements and relevant international organizations:

11. Invites Parties, academic institutions and relevant organizations to support long-term training programmes, including internships, fellowships and under- and post-graduate trainings to improve taxonomic and related skills of human resources;

12. Recognizing that taxonomic research may involve the movement of genetic resources between countries and access to traditional knowledge, emphasizes the need for these activities to be undertaken in line with the provisions on access and benefit-sharing of the Convention and, where applicable, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefit Arising from Their Utilization, and subject to their domestic legislation or regulatory requirements;

13. Notes the importance of traditional taxonomic knowledge of indigenous and local communities in the context of the Global Taxonomy Initiative;

14. Recognizing the need for financial resources for capacity-building, including the consolidated guidance to the financial mechanism, urges Parties and invites other Governments, organizations and donors to provide adequate financial and technical support for Parties to carry out taxonomic projects and activities that prioritize the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020;

15. Takes note of the revised terms of reference for the Coordination Mechanism for the Global Taxonomy Initiative (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/15/INF/5) and the questionnaires for taxonomic needs and capacity assessments (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/15/INF/4), which will be helpful for setting priorities for taxonomic capacity-building in updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans.