Notification 2015-067

Dear Madam/Sir, The purpose of this notification is to inform you on progress made in realizing requests to the Executive Secretary related to financial reporting as contained in decision XII/3, and to invite your input for further implementation of this decision regarding financial reporting and safeguards in biodiversity financing mechanisms. Financial reporting I am pleased to inform you that the revised Financial Reporting Framework is now available online at https://chm.cbd.int/submit/resourceMobilisation . Please kindly refer to the annex for further technical information. In decision XII/3, on resource mobilization, the Conference of the Parties adopted targets for resource mobilization and the revised Financial Reporting Framework as contained in Annex II of the decision. The Financial Reporting Framework is intended for use by Parties for providing baseline information and reporting on their contribution to reach the targets for resource mobilization, by 31 December 2015 (see paragraphs 1 and 25 of the decision). Based on information provided by Parties through the Financial Reporting Framework, including their respective identified resource needs, and taking into account their absorption capacities, the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting will review progress towards the targets for resource mobilization and their adequacy, and will consider the need for appropriate action (see paragraph 3 of the decision). In paragraph 32 of the decision, the Executive Secretary was requested to initiate technical work by organizing a technical expert workshop on identifying, accessing, compiling and aggregating domestic and international biodiversity-related investments and impacts, and to make the report of the workshop available as an element of voluntary guidance for Parties, with a view to facilitating financial reporting on domestic expenditures and the development of national finance plans. I am pleased to inform you that the technical expert workshop was held from 5 to 7 May 2015, in Mexico City, Mexico, with financial support provided by the European Union. The materials presented at the workshop are available at https://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=RMEM-2015-01. The final report of the meeting is currently under preparation and is planned to be released by July 2015. Based on the report of the meeting, the Secretariat will, in the second half of 2015, provide capacity-building and technical support on financial reporting. Detailed information will be provided in due course. Information on financing mechanisms and complementary safeguards In decision XII/3, the Conference of the Parties also adopted voluntary guidelines on safeguards in biodiversity financing mechanisms, contained in Annex III to the decision, and urged Parties to consider undertaking, as appropriate, a review and assessment of existing legislation and policies governing biodiversity financing mechanisms, with a view to identifying opportunities for mainstreaming biodiversity and strengthening current policies and their complementary safeguards, and to make information on this work available to the Executive Secretary, including practical experiences and lessons learned. The Executive Secretary was requested to compile a synthesis of the information provided by Parties, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its first meeting (paragraphs 15, 17 and 18 of the decision). Invited action Parties and other Governments are kindly invited to take, at your earliest convenience but no later than 31 December 2015, the following actions: i. To complete the Financial Reporting Framework made available under the link above; and ii. To provide information, including practical experiences and lessons learned, on any review and assessment undertaken of existing legislation and policies governing biodiversity financing mechanisms, and opportunities identified for mainstreaming biodiversity and strengthening current policies and their complementary safeguards. Thank you for your continued support to the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. Annex Financial Reporting Framework: technical information • The Financial Reporting Framework is available under https://chm.cbd.int/submit/resourceMobilisation . • By default, national Focal Points and, in case they were already nominated, Resource Mobilization Focal Points are granted access to, and publishing rights for, the Financial Reporting Framework. If you wish to change this arrangement, for instance by providing access to additional persons, the National Focal Point is kindly invited to send an email to financialreporting@cbd.int . • Please sign up with your recognized email address. If you do not yet have user account, you will receive an invitation by email to activate your account. The process is self-explanatory. • When you access for the first time, you will have to click on the button “Add New” to open the framework and start entering data. • If you encounter difficulties in accessing the system, or for further technical questions, please contact financialreporting@cbd.int . • The completed framework can be saved as draft (invisible to the public), or saved and published (visible to the public). In order to allow the entry of provisional data and later updating, even published frameworks remain accessible for amendments. • The Financial Reporting Framework is made available under the new system for the clearing house mechanism. Please bear in mind that the work on this new system is ongoing and that its overall layout is therefore provisional.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points and Resource Mobilisation Focal Points