Decision COP VII/23

Taking note of the note by the Executive Secretary on the activities of the clearing-house mechanism during the inter-sessional period (UNEP/CBD/COP/7/17/ADD1), 

Noting with satisfaction the concrete steps taken towards making the clearing-house mechanism an effective tool for promoting technical and scientific cooperation among Parties,

1.Decides to extend the mandate of the informal advisory committee, as constituted and coordinated by the Executive Secretary, and as defined by its operational guidelines;

2.Also decides to review the continuation and mandate of the informal advisory committee at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

4.Invites developed country Parties to assist developing countries Parties, through the clearing-house mechanism, in their efforts to implement and use new information technologies, including the establishment of websites;

5.Invites Parties to develop regional clearing-house mechanisms to further promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation and the exchange of information on technology transfer at the regional and national levels;

6.Requests the Executive Secretary to use the clearing-house mechanism, in collaboration with the informal advisory committee, to continue to strengthen collaboration with international partners and organizations for review at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and to report on that collaboration, including an elaboration of the relative roles of the clearing-house mechanism and information facilities dealing in particular with taxonomic databases including, IABIN (Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network) hubs, BioNet LOOPs (Locally Owned and Operated Partnerships), NatureServe CDCs (Centres for Data Conservation), nodes of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Species 2000 and the Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s Catalogue of Life;