Decision COP XII/29

The Conference of the Parties,

1. Notes the process to improve the operations of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to enable it to fulfil its mandate more efficiently, and requests the Executive Secretary, in consultation with the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body, to continue to explore and implement ways to improve its efficiency, drawing on views of Parties and lessons learned from the seventeenth and eighteenth meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,

2. Requests the Executive Secretary to explore ways to increase the efficiency of meetings, including convening meetings through virtual means, and to liaise with appropriate entities, such as the United Nations Development Programme, to identify the necessary facilities for delegates, including national focal points, in developing countries to participate effectively in these meetings and report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, for its consideration prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

3. Takes note of the documents prepared by the Executive Secretary on a proposed pilot voluntary peer-review process for the national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to develop a methodology for a voluntary peer-review process and to report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, for its consideration;

4. With a view to enabling the Conference of the Parties, at each of its meetings through 2020, to review progress in the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and in line with paragraph 3 (e) of decision X/2, requests the Executive Secretary to make the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism fully operational as soon as possible, invites Parties and other Governments, on a voluntary basis, to make available information on progress towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and related national targets and on indicators and approaches towards assessing progress, including through use of the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism, and requests the Executive Secretary to report on progress on the use of the online reporting tool by Parties and other Governments, and the information submitted therein, to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting;

5. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, on the basis of the experiences and lessons learned from the preparation of the fifth national report and the use of the voluntary online reporting tool, proposals for the sixth national report to facilitate streamlined reporting on issues covered by the Convention and its Protocols, as well as for any further improvement that may be needed to the online reporting tool, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Implementation;

7. Further requests the Executive Secretary to explore options, including costs involved and potential of partnerships and synergies with other organizations, for holding regional preparatory meetings prior to the concurrent meetings of the Conference of the Parties and the meetings of the Parties to the Protocols, and to submit a report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation;

8. Invites the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to consider strengthening the involvement of the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Programme to support the efforts of Parties to implement their commitments under the Convention and its Protocols;

9. Encourages Parties to integrate biosafety and access and benefit-sharing into national biodiversity strategies and action plans, national development plans and other relevant sectoral and crosssectoral policies, plans and programmes, as appropriate, taking into account national circumstances, legislation and priorities;

10. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources:

11. Encourages Parties and other Governments, as appropriate, in accordance with national circumstances and priorities, to strengthen national coordination mechanisms to facilitate a coordinated approach to the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols as well as other biodiversity-related conventions and the other Rio conventions.