Notification 2023-130

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to invite Parties, other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant organizations and initiatives to nominate representatives to serve on the Informal Advisory Group on Benefit-sharing from the Use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources. The Informal Advisory Group (IAG) was established at the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Benefit-sharing from the Use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources (WGDSI-1), convened in November 2023, with the view to contribute to increasing the understanding of and move forward on some of the “Elements on which there is a need for further discussion”, which can be found in the annex to the WGDSI-1 report. Co-chaired by Ms. Mphatso Kalemba (Malawi) and Mr. William Lockhart (United Kingdom), the IAG will report the outcomes of its work during the intersessional period to the second meeting of the Working Group in August 2024. The IAG is expected to meet online for sessions of three hours approximately once per month. Meeting times will rotate to accommodate the different time zones. Nominations for members of the IAG should be in the form of a signed letter, indicating the name, affiliation and full contact information of the nominee, and sent to the Secretariat by e-mail to secretariat@cbd.int as soon as possible but no later than 5 January 2024. Nominations should take the following into consideration: • For Parties and non-Party Governments: Each can nominate up to two representatives, with one nominee consistently attending all meetings of the IAG and serving as a liaison. • For representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities: One representative from each of the 7 socio-cultural regions will be selected in consultation with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB). • There will be a limited number of representatives from stakeholder groups from academic and research institutions, women and youth, business, civil society, and others. These representatives will be selected among nominations based on pertinence and taking into account gender and regional balance. The two Co-chairs may invite additional experts and observers as necessary and appropriate. An information webinar on the IAG will be held on 11 December 2023, as per the schedule below, to accommodate different time zones, and will be followed by a question/answer period. To register and participate in the webinar, please use one of the links below: • Time: 8:00 – 09:00 EST / 13:00 – 14:00 GMT / 22:00 – 23:00 JST Link: https://www.cbd.int/dsi-gr/webinar-20231211/morning • Time: 18:00 –19:00 EST / 23:00 – 24:00 GMT / 8:00 – 9:00 JST (on 12 December) Link: https://www.cbd.int/dsi-gr/webinar-20231211/evening Please accept, Sir, Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Acting Executive Secretary

To: CBD national focal points, ABS focal points, Cartagena Protocol focal points, indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organizations