Decision COP XII/6

The Conference of Parties,

A. Cooperation with other conventions

Recalling decision XI/6, including paragraph 3, in which it urged Parties to pursue efforts to enhance synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions to promote policy coherence, improve efficiency and enhance coordination and cooperation at all levels, and with a view to strengthening Parties’ ownership of the process,

1. Welcomes the International Plant Protection Convention as a member of the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions and notes with appreciation the role of the International Plant Protection Convention in helping to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 9;

2. Welcomes the efforts by the governing bodies of the biodiversity-related conventions to align their own strategies and plans with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;

3. Calls on the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions to continue its work to enhance coherence and cooperation in the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to continue efforts to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary overlap and duplication at all relevant levels among the biodiversity-related conventions;

4. Reaffirming decision X/20, invites the members of the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions: 

5. Encourages Parties to improve cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions and other organizations at all levels to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the implementation of the objectives of the Convention;

6. Decides, subject to the availability of resources, to establish a regionally balanced informal advisory group, composed of two members per region, selected by the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity on the basis of nominations by Parties, to prepare, in consultation with the Secretariat, prior to the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, a workshop with the task to prepare options which could include elements for a possible road map, for Parties of the various biodiversity-related conventions to enhance synergies and improve efficiency among them, without prejudice to the specific objectives and recognizing the respective mandates and subject to the availability of resources of these conventions, with a view to enhancing their implementation at all levels; and invites the Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions to participate in the informal advisory group;

7. With a view to engaging the other biodiversity-related conventions in the workshop referred to in paragraph 6 above, while recognizing the respective mandates of these conventions, invites the executive heads of the other biodiversity-related conventions to facilitate the participation of representatives of Parties to their conventions, through their standing committees, bureaux or other processes, as appropriate; representatives of each of the secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions; observers, including 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 the organizations which provide the secretariats to such conventions; as well as representatives of indigenous and local communities;

8. Invites the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to transmit to the Conference of the Parties of each of the biodiversity-related conventions the results of its project on improving the effectiveness of and cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions and exploring opportunities for further synergies;

9. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to organize the workshop referred to in paragraph 6 above and to facilitate, as appropriate, cost-effective ways for the informal advisory group to hold discussions, such as through a video-conference, by electronic correspondence, or other means, prior to the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation;

10. Also requests the informal advisory group to consider relevant inputs, including the Executive Secretary’s response to the request in paragraphs 17 (b), (c) and (f) in decision XI/6, the outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, “The future we want”, and the results of the United Nations Environment Programme project on improving the effectiveness of and cooperation among biodiversity-related conventions and exploring opportunities for further synergies, outcomes arising from the work of the Liaison Group of the biodiversity-related conventions, the experience of the Chemicals conventions in improving synergies, and other recent relevant work on synergies;

11. Requests the Executive Secretary:

12. Also requests the Executive Secretary to continue to pursue collaboration and partnerships with Parties, entities of the United Nations system, indigenous and local communities and stakeholders from various sectors to support implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;

B. Cooperation with international organizations and initiatives

13. Reiterates the importance of a United Nations system wide approach to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the framework of the United Nations Decade for Biodiversity,  and welcomes the report of the Environment Management Group on relevant activities of the Issue Management Group on Biodiversity; 

14. Invites the United Nations and other organizations to continue their efforts in furthering the integration of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets throughout the United Nations system, in particular through the Environment Management Group and other relevant initiatives;

15. Takes note of the outcomes of the first European conference for the implementation of the joint programme between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity on the linkages between cultural and biological diversity, including, in particular, the Florence Declaration on the Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity; 

16. Expresses its gratitude to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for providing a summary of its available tools and guidance to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and welcomes the preparation of the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture;

17. Noting that the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook identifies that progress towards sustainable food and agriculture is crucial in determining whether the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 will succeed, recognizes the Reviewed Strategic Framework 2010-19 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, addressing agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, with its mutually reinforcing objectives to eradicate hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty while sustainably managing and utilizing natural resources, as an important contribution to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 - 2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and requests the Executive Secretary and invites the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to continue to strengthen their cooperation on relevant matters;

18. Calls upon the BioTrade Initiative of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to continue to strengthen its technical support to Governments, companies and other stakeholders to enable them to incorporate biotrade, as well as sustainable harvesting practices within national biodiversity strategies and action plans, as appropriate, highlighting the importance of biotrade as an engine for sustainable use of biodiversity and its conservation through the involvement of the private sector;

19. Acknowledges the importance of further enhancing cooperation on forest biodiversity and welcomes the expanding collaboration between the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Tropical Timber Organization towards implementation of the Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity in several tropical regions as part of the memorandum of understanding between the Secretariats of the International Tropical Timber Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity, to reinforce cooperation and collaboration in support of the  achievement of the Convention’s work related to forest biodiversity, and reiterates its invitation to Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to support this joint initiative;

20. Stresses that the involvement of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests remains important for the effective implementation of the programme of work on forest biodiversity, and requests the Executive Secretary, as a member of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, subject to the availability of resources, to engage actively in the work of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, including in the ongoing process of review of the International Arrangement on Forests under the United Nations Forum on Forests with a view to addressing biodiversity-related issues adequately;