Notification 2015-131

Dear Madam/Sir, I would like to invite you to share further information and experiences relevant to mainstreaming biodiversity across sectors and into cross-sectoral plans and policies. The Conference of the Parties decided, in its multi-year programme of work up to 2020 (decision XII/31), to address at COP-13, among other issues, strategic actions to enhance national implementation, in particular through mainstreaming and the integration of biodiversity across relevant sectors, including agriculture, forests and fisheries, and the implications of the post-2015 United Nations development agenda and the sustainable development goals and of other relevant international processes for the future work of the Convention. The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body on Implementation will consider these items in preparation for the Conference of the Parties. As requested by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, at its nineteenth meeting, I invite you to review and provide comments on the following documents: • UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/19/INF/1, Strategic Scientific and Technical Issues Related to the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020: Biodiversity, Food Systems and Agriculture; • UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/19/INF/6, Strategic Scientific and Technical Issues Related to the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020: Biodiversity and Fisheries; • UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/19/INF/15, Preliminary Report on the Contribution of Aichi Targets to Land‐Based Climate Mitigation; and • UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/19/INF/17, Strategic Issues Related to the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020: Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity. The documents will be revised in light of comments received and made available to SBSTTA-20 and SBI-1. I would also like to invite you to provide any observations you may have on the Contribution of FAO’s Five Principles for Sustainable Agriculture to the Implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Target 7 (document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/19/INF/4/Rev.1). In preparation for SBSTTA-20 and SBI-1, I further invite you to provide (i) Any additional examples of policy measures taken in your country to promote mainstreaming biodiversity in other sectors (including the agriculture, forests and fisheries sectors, tourism, health, infrastructure, mining, energy, and into climate change adaptation and mitigation measures), as well as cross-sectoral measures (such as national development strategies and plans, finance and trade). I would be particularly interested in receiving examples of policy measures taken by governments in recent years, including national or sub-national legislation, national or sub-national policies, presidential directives or decrees, records of relevant deliberations of national councils, territorial planning and zoning, actions of river basin committees, information on the use of economic instruments, information on integrated public work programmes, etc. Please provide a brief note on the instrument used, sectors and stakeholders engaged, how the policy is supported by institutional arrangements and budget and results accomplished, i.e. how the policy supports the integration of biodiversity, as well as the full citation and link to the instrument used and to relevant reports. A template for the submission of comments is available from the review web-page below. (ii) Experiences on and best practices for the engagement of stakeholders to promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity. Where relevant information was already provided in other submissions such as the fifth national report, please include only a reference. The documents for the submission of comments and information are available at: https://www.cbd.int/sbstta20/review. Considering the importance of mainstreaming for the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, I encourage you to contribute to this process and to provide your peer review comments on the documents and additional experiences on policy measures for mainstreaming and stakeholder engagement to the Secretariat by 4 January 2016. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations