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Decision COP XI/7
UNEP/CBD/COP/DEC/XI/7

Business and biodiversity

The Conference of the Parties,

Noting that engagement with business must take into account the three objectives of the Convention, its Protocols and the rights and needs of indigenous and local communities,

Recalling decision X/2, in which it invited businesses, among other stakeholders, to undertake actions that lead to the successful implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets,

Recalling also its decision X/44, in which it called for the identification and elimination, phase out or reform of perverse incentives that drive biodiversity loss while also establishing policy contexts that will enhance biodiversity-friendly activities,

Recalling further its decision X/21, in which it called upon Governments and business to take specific steps to actively encourage greater private-sector engagement with the Convention,

Recognizing, in particular, the importance of paragraphs 1 (d) and (f) of decision X/21, in which it called upon Governments to support “the establishment of national and regional business and biodiversity initiatives and to strive towards a global partnership on business and biodiversity by inviting ongoing initiatives and other stakeholders to be part of the business and biodiversity initiative” and “to develop ongoing dialogue with the business community in relation to biodiversity considerations and activities”,

Understanding that the facilitation and development of these national and regional business and biodiversity initiatives can help businesses to better understand biodiversity and ecosystem services, in accordance with nationally defined priorities and the business case for their conservation; to build capacity; to share best practices, as appropriate; and to help facilitate dialogue among all stakeholders, as well as situating biodiversity and ecosystem services in the wider context of sustainable development,

Noting the contribution of the first meeting of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity to furthering the goals of the Global Partnership, as well as helping to facilitate the development of various national and regional business and biodiversity initiatives,

Recognizing also the importance of paragraphs 2 (b) to (e) of decision X/21,

Recalling decision X/21, which calls upon the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with relevant organizations and initiatives, to compile, analyse and disseminate tools and other mechanisms through various means to businesses and other stakeholders, building on information being collected pursuant to decision X/44,

Recalling also decision VII/14 adopting the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development and underlining the importance thereof for the tourism business sector,

Noting the Cha-am Declaration on Biodiversity, which emanated from the Asia Regional Forum on Biodiversity and which recognizes that nature is the foundation of life and that protecting nature is the joint task of business, government, academia and other multi-stakeholders in society,

Taking note of the revised Keidanren Declaration of Biodiversity: Guide to Action Policy, as an example, inter alia, to engage business in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity,

Also taking note, inter alia, of the report of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development on “Biodiversity and ecosystem services scaling up business solutions”,

Further taking note of the work of the various voluntary standards and certification bodies,

Noting resolution XI.20, adopted by the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands at its eleventh meeting, on promoting sustainable investment by the public and private sectors to ensure the maintenance of the benefits people and nature gain from wetlands,

Noting also the links between biodiversity and other aspects of sustainable development and the importance of emphasizing the responsibility of business to take action to address biodiversity loss,

Recalling the agreement reached in the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) as an important document for the engagement of business, including inter alia, paragraphs 46, 47, and 58,

Recognizing the importance of continuing to call upon businesses to embrace and act upon the overall goals of the Convention and its Protocols, to help them understand and implement the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to help them understand how biodiversity fits into the overall sustainable development agenda,

Operational Active BUSINESSES

1.Calls upon businesses to continue liaising with national governments, civil society organizations, academia and other stakeholders to formulate relevant actions for biodiversity conservation and for the sustainable use of its components and ecosystem services and for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources that are aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in accordance with nationally defined priorities and national conditions;

Operational Active BUSINESSES

2.Also calls upon businesses to consider the revised 2012 International Finance Corporation Performance Standards;

Operational Active Parties

3.Invites Parties to:

(a)Consider promoting the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services values into private sector activities, including large and publically listed companies, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the TEEB for Business Report and the work undertaken within the framework of national ecosystem assessments, and taking into consideration the needs and circumstances of small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular in developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

(b) Ratify and implement the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization in order to establish legal certainty and transparency for providers and users of genetic resources;

(c)Consider, according to priorities and national circumstances, policies and legislation that halt biodiversity loss and reduce incentives, including subsidies, that are harmful to biodiversity or have biodiversity impacts, taking into account the needs and circumstances of developing countries and those with economies in transition;

(d)Adopt policies that respect the goals and objectives of the Convention and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including for the promotion of sustainable consumption and production that incorporate effective safeguards for biodiversity, as appropriate;

(e)Take into account, according to priorities and national circumstances, other policies that halt biodiversity loss, such as:

(i)Encouraging consideration of best practices that will help the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of its components and will help businesses assess and effectively address their impact upon biodiversity and on indigenous and local communities;

(ii)Encouraging and assisting with (as appropriate) the consideration of monitoring and reporting frameworks, taking into account the needs and circumstances of developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

(iii)Reducing incentives, including subsidies, that are harmful to biodiversity, in accordance with decision X/44;

(f) Review and, where possible, revise strategies for communicating biodiversity agendas and policies, particularly national biodiversity strategies and action plans, to business, taking into account their interests and aspirations, such as those expressed through their corporate social responsibility programmes, in order to ensure a greater contribution from the private sector to implementing the Convention and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;

(g)Actively support relevant capacity-building in developing countries, and help those Parties develop policy measures and guidance to assist businesses in improving their biodiversity-friendly sustainable development strategies and participating in the implementation of the Convention and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
Operational Active BUSINESSES OTHERS

4.Encourages businesses, including publically listed and large companies, to:

(a)Continue to take actions which would be instrumental to implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in accordance with decision X/2 and national policies;

(b)Encourage their supply chains, and other stakeholders, to report on progress made in mainstreaming the objectives of the Convention and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including with regard to their biodiversity strategies, policies and action plans, as appropriate;

(c)Analyse the impacts, dependencies, opportunities and risks of individual sectors as they relate to biodiversity and ecosystem services, in accordance with nationally defined priorities and national conditions, taking into account the findings and recommendations of the TEEB for Business Report;

(d)Consider covering, in their annual reports and on their corporate information platforms, the effects of their business operations on biodiversity and their reliance on ecosystem services, in accordance with nationally defined priorities and national conditions along their value chain;

(e)Adopt practices and strategies that contribute to achieving the goals and objectives of the Convention and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as appropriate, and to consider, as appropriate, the use of voluntary standards and certification schemes that incorporate effective safeguards for biodiversity, taking into account the needs of developing countries and those with economies in transition;

(f)Align their investments in support of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services;

(g)Continue dialogue with government on all relevant aspects of the national and international biodiversity agenda through national business and biodiversity initiatives and other means, so as to ensure that the impacts of business on biodiversity and ecosystem services are duly taken into account;

(h)Collaborate with relevant organizations on the development of reporting standards on biodiversity;

5.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources and in collaboration with relevant organizations, to:

(a) Continue to facilitate dialogue among business, government and other stakeholders through ongoing support for national, regional and international business and biodiversity initiatives, using the Global Partnership as a framework;

(b) Compile information on best practices that incorporates all three objectives of the Convention and those of its two Protocols, and facilitate the engagement of businesses, governments and other stakeholders in adopting such practices through various means, including the Global Platform on Business and Biodiversity website, newsletters and specific, targeted workshops;

(c) Continue to work with partners to further refine the analysis of the various tools and mechanisms, and thereby help businesses (including small and medium-sized enterprises) understand, assess and adopt solutions for managing biodiversity risk that are cost-effective, credible and effective;

(d) Help raise awareness about the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of its components and the drivers of biodiversity loss by collaborating with appropriate national, regional and international partners, thereby assisting businesses (including small and medium-sized enterprises) to build capacity related to biodiversity and ecosystem services in accordance with nationally defined priorities and national circumstances, taking into account the needs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-11
Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
8 - 19 October, 2012
Hyderabad, India

AICHI targets
1
Documents
http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/Topics_Ext_Content/IFC_External_Corporate_Site/Sustainability-At-IFC/Policies-Standards/Performance-Standards
http://www.teebweb.org/our-publications/teeb-study-reports/business-and-enterprise/
https://www.cbd.int/abs/text/default.shtml
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