Notification 2012-040

Dear Madam/Sir, Reference is made to notifications 2011-014, sent on 18 January 2011, and 2011-223, sent on 21 November 2011. These notifications invited Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations and stakeholders to report to the Executive Secretary on progress made, difficulties encountered, and lessons learned, in implementing the work spelled out in decision X/44 on incentive measures (see paragraph 15 of this decision). As requested in paragraph 16 of this decision, the information submitted was synthesized and analyzed, and a progress report was prepared for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) at its sixteenth meeting (please refer to documents UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/15 and UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/36 available under the following link: https://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=SBSTTA-16). However, in light of the limited number of submissions received from Parties, I wish to renew my invitation to Parties and other governments which have not yet done so to submit, as appropriate and at their earliest convenience but no later than 11 June 2012, information on the activities undertaken listed below: (a) taking measures, and establishing, or enhancing, mechanisms with a view to account for the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services in public and private sector decision-making, including by revising and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans to further engage different sectors of government and the private sector, building on the work of the TEEB initiative, the UNDP regional initiative on the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems for sustained growth and equity in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other relevant initiatives; (b) undertaking similar studies at the national level; (c) identifying, eliminating, phasing out, or reforming, with a view to minimize or avoid negative impacts from, existing harmful incentives for sectors that can potentially affect biodiversity, taking into account target 3 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; (d) promoting the design and implementation, in all key economic sectors, of positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that are effective, transparent, targeted, appropriately monitored, cost-efficient as well as consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, and that do not generate perverse incentives, taking into account, as appropriate, the range of positive incentive measures identified in the report for policy-makers of the TEEB initiative, the polluter pays principle and the associated full-cost recovery principle, as well as the livelihood of indigenous and local communities; (e) engaging with businesses and enterprises on ways and means to contribute to the national implementation of the Convention, including through the design and implementation, with their participation, of direct and indirect positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (f) implementing sustainable consumption and production patterns for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, both in the public and the private sector, including through business and biodiversity initiatives, procurement policies that are in line with the objectives of the Convention, and development of methods to promote science-based information on biodiversity in consumer and producer decisions, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations; (g) building or enhancing national capacities for assessing the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services, for identifying and removing or mitigating perverse incentives, and for the design and implementation of positive incentive measures for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; (h) otherwise supporting the efforts at global, regional and national levels in identifying and removing or mitigating perverse incentives, in promoting positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and in assessing the values of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Please note that the invitation in paragraph 15 of decision X/44 also referred to information on “difficulties encountered and lessons learned” in implementing decision X/44. In this connection, you may wish to submit information on barriers encountered in implementing decision X/44 (and relevant Aichi Biodiversity Targets, in particular targets 2 and 3), as well as on any specific identified needs for capacity building or capacity enhancement. This could inform efforts to provide such capacity building by international organizations and initiatives, as foreseen by paragraph 8 of decision X/44. The submissions received will be utilized to prepare an updated analysis and progress report for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting, to be held from 8 to 19 October 2012 in Hyderabad, India. I thank you for your cooperation and continued support to the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points