Notification 2009-151

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that the Aichi/Nagoya International E-Conference on the post 2010 Biodiversity Target (ANIEC 2010) has been launched today to gather opinion from the broad and diverse groups of stakeholders on “how” and “what” actions should be taken in the short and medium term after 2010. The ANIEC 2010 represents a “mega” consultation process that utilizes internet communication technology to seek views and provide a framework for an electronic debate of the civil society prior to a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Through the CBD Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), it will involve government and non-government organizations, indigenous and local communities, women, youth, scientific and expert networks, academia, business networks, local communities, and other interested segments and groups in an open dialogue. The outputs of the resulting discussion will be summarized and presented to the high level segment of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2010 and in Aichi-Nagoya in October 2010. A side event will be organized during COP 10 by the President to present the results of the e-conference. The ANIEC 2010 is available on the internet at www.cbd.int/aniec2010. To encourage global active participation, the discussions will focus on five simple key questions designed to capture geographic perspectives (i.e. global, regional and national): 1. What does biodiversity mean to you? 2. Do you think that biodiversity is important and why? 3. Do you think that climate change is a threat to biodiversity? If so, what should be done? 4. What will be your message to the Heads of State meeting on biodiversity to be held on 20 September 2010 in New York, and to the delegates to COP 10? 5. What should be done to ensure the success of COP 10? Through the support of UNEP, IUCN, UNU and the triple presidency of the COP (Brazil, Germany and Japan), the Secretariat is pleased to announce that this e-conference will be made available early next year, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. The English version of the e-conference is being launched today and it is our objective, with the assistance of our partners, to have the other language versions online by 1 January 2010. We would appreciate your help to enhance participation in the following ways: • Please join the Conference and express your opinion by responding to the questions. • Please transmit this message to your national contacts, civil society, NGOs and other partner organizations, to invite them to participate. • If possible, advertise the Conference on your national web site, and encourage your partners to do the same. We thank you very much for your support and cooperation. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points