Notification 2013-051

Dear Madam/Sir, The Conference of the Parties, in its decision X/10, requested Parties to submit their fifth national report by 31 March 2014. In the same decision, the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary to facilitate the provision of support to developing countries, in particular least developed countries and small islands developing states, for the preparation of the fifth national reports. Through decision X/2, the Conference of the Parties decided that the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-4) shall be prepared to provide a mid-term review of progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including an analysis of how the implementation of the Convention and its Strategic Plan has contributed to the 2015 targets of the Millennium Development Goals. In recommendation XVI/2, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice recommended inter alia that GBO-4 should draw on available information provided by Parties and address the possible policy responses that could be effective in contributing to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. In paragraph 2(a) of decision X/15, the Conference of the Parties encourages Parties to continue to take the necessary steps to establish, strengthen, and ensure the sustainability of, national clearing-house mechanisms (CHM Goal 2). Furthermore, in paragraph 11(c) of decision XI/2, Parties were called on to share, through national clearing-house mechanisms or other relevant mechanisms, information on results from the monitoring of progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and on projects funded under Articles 20 and 21 of the Convention. In response to these decisions, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with the generous support of the Governments of Japan and Saint Lucia, is organizing the two following workshops which will be held in parallel from 16 to 20 September 2013 in Gros Islet, St. Lucia: • Regional Workshop for the Caribbean on the Preparation of the Fifth National Report; • Regional workshop for the Caribbean on the Clearing-House Mechanism. The purpose of these workshops is to strengthen capacities of the countries in the region for preparing their fifth national reports and for developing their national clearing-house mechanisms, respectively. Joint sessions will be organized for topics of interest to both workshops. In line with a recommendation from the Bureau of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the main agenda items of the seventeenth meeting of this Subsidiary Body (Montreal, 14-18 October 2013) will be introduced to enable a discussion of the expectations from this meeting for the region. I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate two representatives to participate in these parallel workshops based on the following criteria and noting that both workshops will be held in English only (Cuba and the Dominican Republic participated in the regional workshop on the Clearing-House Mechanism for Latin America (Villa de Leyva, Colombia, 6 - 10 May 2013) and should therefore only nominate one representative for the 5NR workshop.): • Workshop on the Preparation of the Fifth National Report: The participant should be directly involved in the preparation of the fifth national report and should ensure that the corresponding process is initiated in time for submission of this report by the deadline (31 March 2014). • Workshop on the Clearing-House Mechanism: The participant should be directly involved in the development of the national Clearing-House Mechanism. Participation in this workshop is limited to non-Spanish speaking countries. • Each nominee should be familiar with the national biodiversity strategies and action plans of the country that s/he represents. The nominations should be in the form of an official letter addressed to the CBD Executive Secretary signed by yourself or a senior government official, and the letter should contain each nominee's name and full contact information including email address, CV, as well as clearly indicates who will attend which workshop (5NR or CHM). This letter can either be scanned and emailed to secretariat@cbd.int or faxed to the Secretariat at + 1 514 288 6588, no later than 5 August 2013. The Secretariat will provide financial support for two participants from each country (only one from Cuba and the Dominican Republic), subject to the availability of funds. Once the nomination letter is received, necessary arrangements will be made and detailed information concerning the workshops will be communicated. I look forward to receiving your early nominations. Please accept, Madam/Sir, accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points with copy to the CHM National Focal Points of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago