Notification 2015-077

Dear Madam/Sir, I have the pleasure to announce that the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is organizing, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a capacity-building workshop for West Africa on ecosystem restoration with a focus on forests to support achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5,14 and 15 (Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5, 14 and 15 set global targets to reduce the loss of natural habitats, secure ecosystem services, and restore degraded areas. See https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/ for details. Actions contributing to the achievement of these Targets also contribute towards, or depend on, achieving many other Aichi Biodiversity Targets (e.g. Targets 7, 11, 12, 13, and 18)), to be held from 5 to 9 October 2015 in Accra, Ghana. The workshop will be conducted in English and French with simultaneous interpretation. Meeting documents will be posted on the CBD website at http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting in due course. This workshop is part of a series being organized as part of the implementation of the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI) by the CBD Secretariat through the generous financial assistance of the Government of the Republic of Korea, through the Korea Forest Service. The FERI was welcomed by the Conference of the Parties to the CBD at its twelfth meeting in paragraph 5 of decision XII/19. The aims of the workshop are to support Parties in: (a) Undertaking assessments for implementing ecosystem restoration with a focus on forests; (b) Effectively incorporating biodiversity into ecosystem restoration planning and implementation with a focus on forests; and © Exploring resource mobilization opportunities for ecosystem restoration with a focus on forests. The Secretariat plans to offer capacity-building to Parties within an integrated and participatory, approach to planning and implementation at the landscape level. These capacity-building activities respond to paragraph 5 of decision XI/16 wherein the Conference of the Parties to the CBD requested the Executive Secretary to conduct capacity-building workshops on ecosystem restoration. Furthermore, these activities will assist the Secretariat to report on progress by Parties towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5, 14 and 15. I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate two representatives to participate in the workshop, as soon as possible but not later than 31 July 2015. Eligible country participants will receive financing from the CBD Secretariat to facilitate their participation. To nominate representatives, please provide the attached nomination form signed by the national focal point, sent by fax to +1 (514) 288-6588 or e-mail to secretariat@cbd.int. Parties are requested to use the following criteria when submitting their nominations: (a) Experience in or responsibility for land use/spatial planning for biodiversity/agriculture/water resources; (b) Be knowledgeable about their countries’ National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan; © Capable of reporting on the current status of ecosystem restoration actions in the country; and (d) Be in a position to translate the knowledge gained on ecosystem restoration into concrete actions. In order to prepare for this series of workshops the Secretariat issued notification 2015-014 (http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2015/ntf-2015-014-ecosystem-restoration-en.pdf) to all Parties requesting information on commitments to reduce habitat loss and on ecosystem restoration. Responding to this notification is a pre-requisite to participating at this workshop. Countries that have not responded to this notification are requested to do so by 31 July 2015. For your information, the FAO will supplement participation to this meeting by inviting and supporting one forestry expert from eligible Parties through their own channels. I look forward to receiving your nominations and I thank you for your cooperation and continued support for the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo