Decision COP XIV/30

A. Cooperation with other conventions

2. Welcomes the work of other biodiversity-related conventions to enhance cooperation and synergies among the conventions in line with its decision XIII/24, including the relevant decisions of their governing bodies;

3. Recognizes the importance of collaboration and cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions, the Rio Conventions, and other international conventions in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals;

4. Encourages consideration of actions for enhanced synergies among biodiversity-related conventions, the Rio Conventions, and other conventions that also address issues related to the three objectives of the Convention, in the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, in particular as they are essential for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals;

5. Expresses its appreciation for the work of the informal advisory group on synergies, which has contributed to the process of enhancing synergies among biodiversity-related conventions at the international level;

6. Welcomes the advice provided by the informal advisory group on synergies to the Executive Secretary, the Bureau and the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions on prioritization and implementation of desirable key actions in the road map for enhancing synergies among the biodiversityrelated conventions at the international level 2017-2020, as provided in the note by the Executive Secretary;

7. Invites the governing bodies and the secretariats of the other biodiversity-related conventions, as well as other relevant organizations, to consider this advice, as appropriate and within their respective mandates and in line with national circumstances, to continue undertaking desirable key actions on synergies and to be actively involved in the process of developing the post-2020 global biodiversity framework;

8. Recognizes the importance of enhancing synergies at the national level, and encourages Parties and invites other Governments, as appropriate to their national circumstances, as well as indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations and other relevant organizations to continue to take action from among the options for enhancing synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions at the national level contained in annex I of decision XIII/24 and also invites Parties, other governments and relevant organizations in a position to do so, to provide technical and financial support for capacity-building activities in developing countries;

9. Requests the Executive Secretary to share the results of the work of the informal advisory group with organizations and other initiatives for which the implementation of the road map for enhancing synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions at the international level 2017-2020 is relevant;

10. Requests the informal advisory group on synergies, subject to the availability of resources, to continue to work during the forthcoming intersessional period, in close consultation with the Executive Secretary and the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, to (a) monitor the implementation of the road map until the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, (b) provide the Secretariat and the open-ended working group on the preparation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework established by the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting with advice on ways to optimize synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions in the development of the post-2020 biodiversity framework, and (c) prepare a report to be made available by the Executive Secretary to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its third meeting for subsequent consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting;

11. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, and invites Parties to continue to support the work of the informal advisory group on synergies for the purposes outlined in paragraph 10 above;

12. Requests the Executive Secretary and the co-chairs of the open-ended working group on the preparation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework established through decision 14/34, subject to the availability of resources, to organize a workshop in early 2019, to facilitate, as appropriate, discussions among Parties of the various biodiversity-related conventions to explore ways in which the conventions can contribute to the elaboration of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and, based on the respective mandate of each convention, to identify specific elements that could be included in the framework, and invites the members of the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions to participate in the workshop, which should aim to enhance synergies and to strengthen cooperation among the biodiversity-related conventions, without prejudice to their specific objectives and recognizing their respective mandates and subject to the availability of resources for these conventions, with a view to enhancing their participation in the design of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework;

13. Acknowledges the collaborative work done by the Executive Secretary, the United Nations Environment Programme and its World Conservation Monitoring Centre to implement key actions to enhance synergies at the international level, and requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, and invites the United Nations Environment Programme and other relevant international organizations, to continue to undertake such initiatives and activities in implementing the road map, taking into account the advice of the informal advisory group, as appropriate;

14. Welcomes the initiative of the Government of Egypt to promote a coherent approach for addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and land and ecosystem degradation, requests the Executive Secretary and invites Parties and other Governments, as well as the governing bodies and secretariats of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, other relevant entities of the United Nations, civil society, and indigenous peoples and local communities, to support and promote this initiative, as appropriate and taking into account national and organizational circumstances;

15. Calls upon Parties, in accordance with national priorities and capacity, in the light of the results of the consultation process conducted under the “Caring for Coasts” initiative, the resulting work plan presented in the information document issued by the Executive Secretary and the related resolutions adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals at its twelfth meeting and the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat at its thirteenth meeting to provide further support for the implementation of the activities of the proposed work plan, including, among other things, the global “Coastal Forum” focused on coastal wetland conservation;

16. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to further coordinate the “Caring for Coasts” initiative with the secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, and other relevant organizations, such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in the context of its Blue Bio Trade Initiative, in order to advance synergies in their work on the management and restoration of coastal ecosystems worldwide;

17. Encourages Parties to the Convention that are also Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to consider, as appropriate, the relevance of their actions to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity, including their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, with actions for the achievement of their nationally determined contributions to the Paris Agreement8 and their national action programmes, respectively, and to also consider, where appropriate, ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation, aiming to reduce human vulnerability to climate change;

18. Invites Parties to the Convention that are also members of the United Nations Forum on Forests to consider, as appropriate, the relevance of their actions to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity, including actions under their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, in the design of their voluntary national contributions towards achieving one or more global forest goals and targets of the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017-2030;

19. Invites the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions to consider ways and means of strengthening cooperation among the conventions in order to support their implementation by small island developing States, including with regard to monitoring and reporting, in the context of existing strategic alliances, networks and initiatives and in the context of the implementation of the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity and the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway;

20. Requests the Executive Secretary to consider the opportunities for:

B. Cooperation with international organizations

21. Welcomes the consideration of the interlinkages between human health and biodiversity by the World Health Assembly at its seventy-first session;

22. Expresses it appreciation for the effective cooperation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations with the Convention, and, in this regard, welcomes (a) the operationalization of the Biodiversity Platform referred to in decision XIII/3, paragraph 6, (b) the progress in the development of the report on the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture referred to in decision XIII/3, paragraph 40, (c) the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas prepared by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, (d) the commitments of the Global Soil Partnership and its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils to promoting soil biodiversity, as evidenced by their work plans and awareness-raising efforts, including a planned international symposium in 2020, (e) the initiative of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to develop a work plan on microbes and invertebrates, including those relevant for soil biodiversity and the sustained provision of soil-mediated ecosystem functions and services essential for sustainable agriculture, (f) the efforts made to improve the consistency of reporting on national data on primary forest area reported under the Global Forest Resources Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, considering the exceptional importance of primary forest for biodiversity conservation, and (g) the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on the indicator on the proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture;

23. Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in collaboration with other organizations and subject to the availability of resources, to consider the preparation of a report on the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity covering current status, challenges and potentialities and to make it available for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at a meeting held prior to the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

24. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to undertake the following actions:

25. Recognizes that the Joint Programme of Work on the links between biological and cultural diversity has been a useful platform for collaboration between the Secretariat and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in pursuit of common objectives with respect to nature and culture;

26. Requests the Executive Secretary to consult with the Secretariat of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization with a view, subject to the availability of resources, to preparing options for possible elements of work aimed at a rapprochement of nature and culture in the post2020 global biodiversity framework, for consideration by the Working Group on Article 8(j) at its eleventh meeting, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its twenty-third meeting, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its third meeting, and the open-ended working group on the preparation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, so that possible elements of work are considered along with other proposals in order to develop a fully integrated programme of work on Article 8(j) and related provisions in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

27. Also requests the Executive Secretary to continue liaising with the World Trade Organization, undertaking technical collaboration on issues of joint interest, and following up on pending requests for observer status in relevant committees of the World Trade Organization, and prepare a report to inform Parties on any results of this work for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its third meeting;

28. Further requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to further strengthen the collaboration of the Secretariat with the International Tropical Timber Organization under the Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity, which includes enhanced biodiversity conservation in production forests, improved conservation and management of protected areas, and sustainable management of tropical forests, including through the development of a communication strategy on the outcomes generated by the Initiative and how they support the achievement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and to report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its third meeting;

29. Requests the Executive Secretary to enhance synergies and further strengthen cooperation with all relevant international and regional organizations and conventions working on marine litter and microplastics and with the work undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme in this area, and, in order to improve governance strategies and approaches to combat marine plastic litter and microplastics, also requests the Executive Secretary to inform the United Nations Environment Programme and the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group established by the United Nations Environment Assembly of the work on marine litter of the Convention and to participate, as relevant, in its work;

30. Welcomes the cooperation with UN-Women in strengthening understanding of the interlinkages between gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights, and biodiversity conservation;

31. Recognizes the work of organizations and initiatives, such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, for their provision of technical support and capacity-building for the implementation of the Convention and Aichi Biodiversity Target 3, and invitesthem to continue and intensify this work;

C. Cooperation with inter-agency and coordination networks

32. Notes with appreciation the efforts of the Global Partnership on Plant Conservation in implementing the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and in reviewing its progress and its contributions to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, and requests the Executive Secretary to further engage with the Global Partnership on Plant Conservation on how the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation can be considered under the post-2020 global biodiversity framework;

33. Welcomes the adoption of the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017-2030 and the Global Forest Goals and targets, which serve as a reference for the forest-related work of the United Nations system and for fostering enhanced coherence, collaboration and synergies among United Nations bodies;

34. Notes with appreciation the analysis on the congruence among the forest-related Aichi Biodiversity Targets and other forest-related multilateral commitments and on options for further action to achieve the forest-related Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in a mutually supportive manner, primarily with regard to (a) the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation, (b) forest restoration and (c) the urgent necessity to avoid major fragmentation, damage and loss of primary forests of the planet;

35. Requests the Executive Secretary to continue to engage with the Collaborative Partnership on Forests on the further development of its work plan and joint initiatives to implement the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017-2030 and the Global Forest Goals and their alignment with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and to report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its third meeting, and encourages member organizations of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests to further coordinate on biodiversity-relevant data and methodologies for the development of spatial assessments of opportunities to advance on biodiversity commitments through the work of the Global Forest Goals, REDD+, and the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, as appropriate, as well as alternative adaptation and mitigation approaches contributing to forest restoration;

36. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to provide further guidance on the type of support that may be available to Parties from members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests with regard to specific areas of implementation of the Convention, such as the ShortTerm Action Plan on Ecosystem Restoration;

37. Notes with appreciation the efforts by members of the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration to establish clear principles for the implementation of forest landscape restoration and to develop monitoring tools and protocols that account for the multiple dimensions of forest landscape restoration, including biodiversity, both as a means and an outcome of restoration interventions;

39. Invites the United Nations General Assembly to designate the decade 2021 to 2030 the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration;

40. Requests the Executive Secretary to invite and mobilize the executive bodies of initiatives that have been established under the framework of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, such as the Satoyama Initiative, to continue building synergy in their implementation and contribute to the discussion on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.