Decision COP IX/32

The Conference of the Parties,

Noting with appreciation, the progress made by the Executive Secretary, with the assistance of the Informal Advisory Committee on Communication, Education and Public Awareness, towards implementation of the programme of work for the Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) according to the short-list of priority activities contained in annex II to decision VIII/6, as well as the contributions from some Parties in support of CEPA activities at the national and international level,

1. Invites Parties, international organizations and other partners, including representatives of indigenous and local communities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to double their efforts to implement the programme of work for the Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public Awareness, taking into account the Agenda for Action 2008-2010, as appropriate; 

2. Emphasizes the importance for Parties to integrate communication, education and public awareness into their national biodiversity strategies and action plans so that it underpins all areas of work;

3. Encourages the Executive Secretary to use and further improve the Agenda for Action for the period 2008-2010 (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/3) as a practical tool to guide key international support actions for the implementation of the programme of work for the Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public Awareness at the national level, with the participation of indigenous and local communities;

4. Invites Parties, donors and relevant international organizations to provide adequate and predictable human and financial resources to the Executive Secretary for implementation of the programme of work on communication, education and public awareness, including, inter alia, the promotion of the use of the communication, education and public awareness toolkit, translation of information materials and regional training workshops, and to include representation of indigenous and local communities;

5. Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to create partnerships with agencies and organizations, and with indigenous and local community organizations, that can transmit communication, education and public awareness products in non-electronic formats to regions without Web access;

6. Invites Parties to promote collaboration between ministries of environment and education, and other relevant ministries, to ensure articulation of goals and activities related with the implementation of the programme of work on communication, education and public awareness;

7. Requests the Executive Secretary to compile information on the implementation of communication, education and public awareness measures in the implementation of the three objectives of the Convention and develop the appropriate indicators to determine such impacts;

8. Invites Parties to offer to host the main celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity;

9. Invites Parties, relevant international organizations and other partners, including representatives of indigenous and local communities, to enhance the implementation at national level the programme of work for the Global Initiative on Communication, Education and Public Awareness and coordinate their efforts for the celebration of the 2010 international year on biodiversity and submit their reports to the Executive Secretary;

10. Invites Parties in the context of the ongoing negotiations of an international regime on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing, and further to the Action Plan for Capacity‑Building on Access and Benefit-Sharing (decision VII/19, annex), to provide support to regional and subregional communication, education and public awareness activities related to access and benefit-sharing, including through, inter alia, the development of communication strategies and products designed to increase awareness among decision makers and relevant stakeholders;

11. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare and make available through the clearing‑house mechanism of the Convention, simple summaries of issues and discussions on the negotiation and elaboration of the international regime on access and benefit-sharing with the view to assist Parties in communicating the issues to relevant target groups, including decision makers, policy makers and the general public;

12. Welcomes the joint efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on further integration of biodiversity in formal and informal education, underlines the need to further incorporate biodiversity as a theme in the Decade for Education on Sustainable Development and, in this context, encourages the Executive Secretary to enhance the incorporation of biodiversity as a theme in the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, “Moving into the Second Half of the UN Decade”, to be held in Bonn from 31 March to 2 April 2009 in Bonn.