Decision COP VII/26

1. Urges further enhanced cooperation between the Convention on Biological Diversity and all relevant international conventions, organizations and bodies, strengthening and building on existing cooperative arrangements to enhance synergies and reduce inefficiencies in a manner consistent with their respective mandates, governance arrangements and agreed programs, within existing resources; 

2. Requests in this context, the Executive Secretary, to invite the secretariats of the other four biodiversity conventions (CITES, Ramsar, CMS and World Heritage Convention) to form a liaison group to enhance coherence and cooperation in their implementation, and to report on progress made to the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

3. Requests the Executive Secretary, drawing on the experience gained in the exercise mentioned above, and in close collaboration with relevant conventions, organizations and bodies, to examine options for a flexible framework between all relevant actors, such as a global partnership on biodiversity, in order to enhance implementation through improved cooperation, and to report to the Conference of the Parties at its eighth meeting on possible ways forward; 

4. Requests the Executive Secretary to renew his applications for observer status in relevant bodies of the World Trade Organization, in particular, in the Council on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs Council);

5. Requests the Executive Secretary to inform the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention, on ongoing work to establish ways of enhancing cooperation between the major biodiversity-related organizations and secretariats; 

6. Requests all Parties and other Governments to support this initiative at the national level and in relevant forums.