Notification 2014-132

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of this notification is to share with you the two latest developments at the Global Environment Facility (GEF): (i) The 47th meeting of the Council of the Global Environment Facility was held in Washington D.C. on 28-30 October 2014, and its Joint Summary of the Chairs is available at: http://www.thegef.org/gef/sites/thegef.org/files/documents/EN_GEF.C.47_Joint_Summary_of_the_Chairs.pdf (ii) The Sixth Replenishment of the GEF (GEF-6) came into effect on 31 October 2014. I would like to take this opportunity to invite Parties eligible for financial support from the financial mechanism to make full use of the GEF-6 financial allocations and advance project proposals for GEF funding that promote prompt and effective implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans in line with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. In this regard, I also wish to draw your attention to the pertinent elements of decision XII/30 (Financial Mechanism), which are provided in the annex to the present notification. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. Annex Elements of Decision XII/30 (Financial Mechanism) for attention of Parties 1. Invites Parties to enhance coordination among their respective biodiversity-related convention national focal points, in order to identify national priorities in support of the implementation of the various biodiversity-related conventions, that are aligned with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and with the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and incorporate them into their national biodiversity strategies and action plans; … 6. Welcomes the sixth replenishment package for the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, and encourages Parties to submit project proposals to the Global Environment Facility in line with their national priorities and the guidance from the Conference of the Parties; 7. Encourages the Parties to promote co-financing, in line with the response of the Global Environment Facility to decision XI/5, paragraph 5, and projects that benefit from synergies and the multi-focal area approach in using Global Environment Facility resources; … 13. Welcomes the creation of programmes 5 and 8 in the GEF-6 biodiversity focal area strategy, reflecting the importance of the Cartagena and the Nagoya Protocols, and invites Parties to prioritize projects accordingly; 14. Encourages Parties to develop and submit multi-focal area projects for Global Environment Facility funding in order to give adequate attention to all the issues of the CBD and its Protocols; … 21. Invites Parties, other Governments, international organizations, programmes and funds, including the Global Environment Facility, to provide funds and technical support to developing country Parties and indigenous and local communities for implementation of programmes and projects that promote customary sustainable use of biological diversity; Appendix I Guidance Received from the Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety 4. Urges eligible Parties to prioritize biosafety projects during the programming of their Global Environment Facility-6 national allocations under the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR), taking into account their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Strategic Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety for the period 2011-2020, and the guidance of the Conference of the Parties to the financial mechanism; 5. Encourages Parties to explore the possibility of incorporating biosafety activities into multi-focal area projects, including the proposed “integrated approach pilots”, as well as projects to be developed under the other biodiversity focal area programmes; 6. Also encourages Parties to cooperate at the regional and subregional levels and to request support from the Global Environment Facility for joint projects in order to maximize synergies and opportunities for cost-effective sharing of resources, information, experiences and expertise; 7. Invites Parties and other Governments to engage in activities to raise awareness of relevant government officials (including Global Environment Facility operational focal points) regarding the importance of biosafety and the national obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety with a view to ensuring due consideration of biosafety in the programming of the national Global Environment Facility allocations for biodiversity; 8. Urges Parties to improve their efforts to access funding for biosafety projects from the Global Environment Facility, inter alia, through better coordination between Cartagena Protocol national focal points, CBD national focal points, and Global Environment Facility operational focal points; 9. Also urges Parties to cooperate in organizing regional workshops with a view to raising awareness of the Cartagena Protocol as a tool for sustainable development and the importance of fulfilling obligations under the Protocol; identifying available local or regional capacities that may be utilized; and designing projects that have a better chance of being approved; 10. Further urges Parties and invites other Governments to integrate and prioritize biosafety within their national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national development plans and programmes, as appropriate; 11. Encourages the agencies of the Global Environment Facility to make sufficient provisions to support eligible Parties in developing and implementing biosafety projects; Appendix II Guidance Received from the Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing 9. Urges eligible Parties to prioritize access and benefit-sharing projects during the programming of their GEF-6 national allocations under the System for Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR); 10. Encourages Parties to incorporate access and benefit-sharing activities into multi-focal area projects, including the proposed “integrated approach pilots”, as well as projects to be developed under the other biodiversity focal area programmes, including Programmes 1, 2, 7 and 9; … 12. Further urges Parties and invites other Governments to integrate and prioritize, as appropriate, access and benefit-sharing within their national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national development plans and programmes.

Executive Secretary

To: All National Focal Points