Decision COP XIII/24

1. Welcomes the continued collaboration between the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Tropical Timber Organization, with a view to expedite efforts towards the achievement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity in general and the work on forest biodiversity in particular;

2. Requests the Executive Secretary to include, in future reports on cooperation with other conventions, international organizations and partnerships, information on results and achievements of existing cooperation activities.

Recalling decision XII/6,

3. Appreciates the work of the governing bodies and their bureaux, standing committees and equivalent bodies of other biodiversity-related conventions in contributing to the Party-led process established under decision XII/6;

4. Recognizes, in the context of the ongoing work on synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions, the importance of the strategic plans of the conventions, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and any follow-up, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  and the Sustainable Development Goals, and related reporting and indicators;

5. Acknowledges the work done by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre and their valuable contribution and inputs provided to the workshop held in Geneva in February 2016 on promoting synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions; 

6. Takes note of the resolution 2/17 of the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme at its second session and highlights the need to make efficient use of resources;

7. Recalls decision XII/30 on the financial mechanism and stresses the importance of enhancing programmatic synergies among relevant biodiversity-related conventions;

8. Welcomes the options for action to enhance cooperation, coordination and synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions elaborated by the workshop held in Geneva in February 2016;

9. Also welcomes the options for enhancing synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions at the national level contained in annex I of the present decision, and the road map for enhancing synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions at the international level 2017-2020 contained in annex II of the present decision;

10. Invites the governing bodies of the biodiversity-related conventions to further strengthen cooperation and coordination at the global level within their respective mandates and enhance synergies among themselves, to encourage mutually supportive decisions, pursue their efforts to align their own strategies with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, where appropriate, and to support implementation of the options for action by Parties contained in annex I to the present decision, and the road map contained in annex II of the present decision;

11. Invites Parties and other Governments, as appropriate to their national circumstances, as well as indigenous peoples and local communities, non-governmental organizations and other relevant organizations, to implement options for action at the national level as contained in annex I to the present decision, and further invites Parties and other Governments to establish or strengthen, at the national level, mechanisms to enhance the effective coordination among relevant national and subnational authorities, including biodiversity focal points, and support mainstreaming;

12. Further invites Parties to identify opportunities to enhance synergies at the local and regional levels, including with respect to sites with multiple international designations;

13. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, and in consultation with the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, to enter the information missing from the table contained in annex II to the present decision, specify a timeline for the various actions identified, and, where possible, undertake the actions described in the table;

14. Also requests the Executive Secretary to transmit the road map to the relevant bodies of the other conventions through the members of the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions with a view to facilitating the implementation of the actions, and to report thereon to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its second meeting;

15. Further requests the Executive Secretary, in consultation with the bureau, and subject to availability of resources, to establish an informal advisory group on synergies consisting of Party representatives with balanced representation, including regionally, to provide advice to the Executive Secretary, the bureau and the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, as relevant, on (a) further prioritization of actions in the table contained in annex II to the present decision, and (b) implementing the prioritized actions, advice for which the group should identify, involve and consult, as appropriate, relevant experts, including those from other biodiversity-related conventions and other organizations, and report to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its second meeting;

16. Requests the Secretariat and the bureau to liaise regularly with the informal advisory group on synergies refered to in paragraph 15 above;

17. Invites the secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions, the governing bodies of the conventions, and the international organizations that provide the secretariats for these conventions, as well as representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, global non-governmental organizations and other relevant international organizations, to undertake, where appropriate and subject to the availability of resources, the actions foreseen in annex II, and further invites the secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions to facilitate the involvement of relevant experts in the work of the informal advisory group on synergies;

18. Calls on the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, in close collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as well as United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme, to continue to strengthen its work to enhance coherence and cooperation among the biodiversity-related conventions, including in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and any follow-up to this strategic plan, and requests the Executive Secretary to provide information on progress made to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its second meeting and the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting, including any proposals to further advance this work;

19. Invites the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions to provide input and lessons learned on their synergies process to the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, as appropriate.