Notification 2008-154

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that a regional capacity development workshop for the countries of the Pacific region on national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAP), mainstreaming of biodiversity and the integration of climate change, will be held in Nadi, Fiji, from 2 to 6 February 2009. Thanks to the financial support of the governments of Spain and Norway, this workshop is being jointly organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the South Pacific Community (SPC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Fiji. Through an exchange of experiences and training on the use of relevant tools and mechanisms, the purpose of the workshop is to strengthen national capacity for (a) the development, implementation, review and updating of NBSAPs, (b) biodiversity mainstreaming into relevant sectors, in line with COP decisions VIII/8 and IX/8; and (c) the integration of climate change impacts and the impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation activities on biodiversity within NBSAPs and implementation of the CBD in line with decision IX/16. Further relevant information is available at: https://www.cbd.int/nbsaps/workshops . I am pleased to invite you to nominate a representative of your government to participate in this workshop. Please provide the name and coordinates of your nomination through an official letter addressed to the Executive Secretary, which should reach the Secretariat no later than 22 December 2008 (either faxed to: +1 (514) 288-6588, or scanned and attached to an email addressed to: secretariat@cbd.int). Participants from eligible Parties will be provided with air travel, accommodation, meals and an allowance for incidental costs. In submitting nominations, Parties are requested to note that the representative should be responsible for the development and/or implementation of their NBSAP. Nominated representatives should also be in a position to prepare and present a report on progress made in the development, implementation, review, and updating of the NBSAP, including how the NBSAP addresses climate change and climate change response activities, as well as the mainstreaming of biodiversity concerns into relevant sectors. Moreover, following the workshop, the representative should be in a position to translate the capacity gained into concrete actions in support of national implementation. The workshop will be conducted in English. In addition to country representatives, a limited number of experts will be selected to participate in the workshop, acting as resource persons. Accordingly, you may also wish to recommend an expert from your country involved in (a) integrating biodiversity into development planning or (b) integrating climate change into biodiversity planning. If you wish to nominate an expert in addition to the country representative, please clearly indicate in the nomination letter which person has been nominated as country representative, and which person was recommended as an expert. We look forward to receiving your nominations and recommendations, and I thank you in advance for your support and cooperation. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points of the Pacific region, c.c.: SBSTTA Focal Points of the Pacific region