Decision COP IX/11

A. In-depth review of the availability of financial resources

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling Articles 20 and 21 and related provisions of other Articles of the Convention,

Recalling that in decision VIII/13, the Conference of the Parties decided to conduct an in-depth review of the availability of financial resources, including through the financial mechanism, at its ninth meeting,

Taking note of the report of the Executive Secretary (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/16),

Concerned that the lack of sufficient financial resources continues to be one of the main obstacles to achieving the Convention’s three objectives, including the 2010 biodiversity target, as well as the Millennium Development Goals,

Underlining that effective national systems and a supportive international regime on access and benefit-sharing could support sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services, including through generating financial returns,

Recognizing that local communities and governments in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, may be subject to high conservation opportunity costs,

Resolving to significantly reduce the gaps in funding for biological diversity,

1. Encourages the Parties and relevant organizations to improve the existing financial information through enhancing accuracy, consistency and delivery of existing data on biodiversity financing and improved reporting on funding needs and shortfalls for the Convention’s three objectives, and, in this context, requests the Executive Secretary to regularly update and further develop the Convention’s online network on finance;

2. Encourages the Parties and relevant organizations to intensify efforts to assess, as appropriate, the economic costs of the loss of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services and of the failure to take measures to fulfil the three objectives of the Convention, as well as the benefits of early action to reduce loss of biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services, in order to inform decision-making and awareness-raising, inter alia through contributing to the “Global Study on the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity;”

3. Urges the Global Environment Facility to continue to mobilize co-financing and other modes of financing for its projects related to implementation of the Convention, and requests the Global Environment Facility to continue to leverage financial resources to support the Convention’s objectives;

4. Urges Parties and Governments, where appropriate, to create the enabling environment to mobilize private and public-sector investments in biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services;

5. Recommends that Parties and relevant organizations identify, engage and increase South‑South cooperation as a complement to North-South cooperation to enhance technical, financial, scientific and technological cooperation and innovations, for biological diversity;

6. Urges the Parties and Governments to continue to enhance national administrative and managerial capacities, thus enabling more efficient resource utilization and enhancing positive impacts;

7. Urges Parties, the Global Environment Facility, and relevant organizations to include gender, indigenous peoples and local communities perspectives in the financing of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services;

8. Invites the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to request the Adaptation Fund Board to consider the co-benefits of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services in projects supported by the Adaptation Fund, where eligible Parties have identified it as a priority;

9. Requests the Executive Secretary to compile existing guidelines and best practices for mainstreaming financing of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services into overall and sectoral planning as well as on financial needs assessment and make this information publicly available;

10. Encourages Parties and other Governments to build on existing knowledge of biodiversity and poverty alleviation mainstreaming to integrate biodiversity into national development policies and plans.

B. Strategy for resource mobilization in support of the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling its decision VIII/13,

Noting the inputs on the development of the strategy for resource mobilization provided by the secretariat of the Global Environment Facility (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/14), 

Taking note of the draft strategy for resource mobilization prepared by the Executive Secretary after informal consultations with the Parties and relevant organizations (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/16/Add.1/Rev.1, annex),

Having considered recommendation 2/2 of the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation, regarding options and a draft strategy for resource mobilization in support of the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/4, annex I),

1. Adopts the strategy for resource mobilization in support of the achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity annexed to the present decision;

2. Also invites the Parties and relevant organizations, including United Nations development system, the World Bank, regional development banks and all other relevant international and regional bodies, as well as non-governmental organizations and business sector entities to take prompt actions to implement the strategy for resource mobilization in support of the achievement of the Convention’s three objectives;

3. Invites Parties to come forward with early commitments of additional funding in support of the strategy for resource mobilization in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention;

4. Invites Parties to come forward with new and innovative financing mechanisms in support of the strategy for resource mobilization in accordance with Article 20 of the Convention, requests the Executive Secretary to support diffusion of such initiatives and requests the Global Environment Facility to support diffusion, and facilitate replication and scaling-up, of such initiatives that have proved to be successful;

5. Decides to review the implementation of the strategy for resource mobilization at its tenth meeting, and that the Executive Secretary shall prepare the necessary documentation pertinent to these goals for consideration by the Conference of the Parties;

6. Invites Parties to submit views on concrete activities and initiatives including measurable targets and/or indicators to achieve the strategic goals contained in the strategy for resource mobilization and on indicators to monitor the implementation of the strategy;

7. Requests the Executive Secretary to prepare a compilation of the information provided in accordance with paragraph 6 of the present decision, including options on monitoring progress towards the goals and objectives of the resource mobilization strategy, and make it available three months prior to the third meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention;

8. Requests the Ad Hoc Open Ended Group on Review of Implementation of the Convention to prepare at its third meeting a list of concrete activities and initiatives to achieve the strategic goals of the strategy for resource mobilization and on indicators to monitor the implementation of the Strategy, and submit it for consideration of the Conference of the Parties, at its tenth meeting;

Decides to adopt the following process in preparing for the implementation of goal 4 of the strategy: