Notification 2016-038

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to provide Parties with updated information on the development and functionalities of the online reporting tool of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and to invite Parties to begin using this tool. The Conference of the Parties, in decision VIII/14, paragraph 10, decided that an online facility would be established to support national reporting, through the clearing-house mechanism, for use by Parties on a voluntary basis. The Conference of the Parties, in its decisions XII/29, paragraph 4, and XII/2 B, paragraph 18 (a), requested the Executive Secretary to make the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism fully operational as soon as possible, and invited Parties and other Governments, on a voluntary basis, to make available information on progress towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and related national targets and on indicators and approaches towards assessing progress, including through the use of the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism. In response, the Executive Secretary has developed and improved the online reporting tool of the clearing-house mechanism, following the feedback and suggestions provided by some Parties, members of its Informal Advisory Committee and partner Convention Secretariats after they had tested the tool before the nineteenth meeting of SBSTTA in November 2015. I am pleased to announce that the online reporting tool is now ready for use by Parties and can be accessed at https://chm.cbd.int/submit/online-reporting. It is anticipated that further modules will be added to fully align the tool with the guidelines for the sixth national report once these have been agreed. This online reporting tool allows Parties to provide national assessments on a periodical basis of their progress towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets and/or relevant national targets. This tool also allows Parties to submit national reports, national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), as well as provide information on national targets and indicators. Once published online, national reports, NBSAPs, and assessments are also viewable in map form at www.cbd.int/reports/map. I would encourage all Parties to start using the online reporting tool to submit information as much as possible, particularly related to information on national targets. This information, once formally submitted, will be available for inclusion in documentation to be prepared for meetings of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies until 2020, thus enhancing the decision-making processes under the Convention and supporting the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for 2011-2020. In order to facilitate the management of national users’ accounts, a new feature has been introduced on the clearing-house mechanism (available at https://chm.cbd.int/management/national-users). This feature allows CBD national focal points to directly manage the accounts of National Publishing Authorities (NPAs) and National Authorized Users (NAUs). A user's manual is currently available at www.cbd.int/chm/doc/chm-latest-guide-online-reporting.pdf to assist Parties in using this tool. A detailed description for the workflow process of online submissions is provided in the annex to this notification. Furthermore, in order to facilitate a better integration of national reporting to the Convention and its Protocols, as well as facilitate alignment in reporting among the biodiversity-related conventions and the Rio Conventions, the functions of the online reporting tool will be aligned with the guidelines for the sixth national report so that Parties can submit sections of the report as soon as they have been completed. This will facilitate the timely preparation and submission of the sixth national report. Considering that the online reporting tool is in its initial phase, I would appreciate your feedback and suggestions on its use to help the Secretariat further improve the tool to facilitate its use by Parties. Parties can send feedback and suggestions to a dedicated e-mail address at onlinereporting@cbd.int. The Secretariat will summarize the experiences and lessons learned from the use of the online reporting tool and report to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to be held in Cancun, Mexico, on 4-17 December 2016. We hope that you will find the online reporting tool useful and we are looking forward to hearing your suggestions to help improve this online reporting tool, and more importantly, enhance the national reporting process under the Convention. I thank you in advance for your cooperation and support to the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD and CHM National Focal Points