Notification 2016-045

Dear Madam/Sir, In its decision NP-1/2, paragraph 2, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (COP-MOP) established an informal advisory committee (IAC) to assist the Executive Secretary with the implementation of the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House (ABS Clearing-House) and to provide technical guidance with respect to the resolution of technical and practical issues arising from the ongoing development of the ABS Clearing-House. The decision provides that the IAC shall be composed of 15 experts, primarily from Parties, selected on the basis of nominations provided by Parties. Through notification 2014-127 of 4 November 2014, Parties to the Nagoya Protocol were invited to nominate one expert for the IAC and a reminder was sent out on 3 December 2014. Due to the small number of nominations received from Parties from the regions of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC), only two members from each of these regions could be selected instead of three. The composition of the IAC was made available in notification 2015-035 dated 23 March 2015 and the first meeting of the IAC was held in Montreal, from 28 to 30 October 2015. More recently, one of the experts nominated by a country from the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) to participate in the IAC has informed the Secretariat that he could no longer be a member of the IAC as he will be taking up new responsibilities. A second meeting of the Informal Advisory Committee on the ABS Clearing-House is to be held from 20 to 22 June 2016, in Montreal, Canada. Taking into account that additional countries have become Parties to the Nagoya Protocol and with a view to ensuring that the IAC has adequate regional representation, Parties to the Nagoya Protocol from the CEE, GRULAC and WEOG regions were invited to nominate one expert each as soon as possible and no later than 18 March 2016. Only one nomination was received from the GRULAC region. Against this background, I am pleased to convey herewith, for your information, the list of selected experts. A letter of invitation to the second meeting of the IAC will be sent to the selected experts together with relevant information concerning the meeting. Documents for the meeting will be posted in due course on the Secretariat’s web site. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. INFORMAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING CLEARING-HOUSE LIST OF SELECTED EXPERTS AFRICA 1. Madagascar Ms. Raharimalala Voahangy 2. Benin Mr. Mensah Bienvenu Bossou 3. South Africa Ms. Tshililo Lactitia Tshitwamulomoni ASIA 4. India Ms. Sujata Arora 5. Lao PDR Ms. Kongchay Phimmakong 6. Indonesia Ir. Antung Deddy Radiansyah CEE 7. Hungary Ms. Zuzana Tollrianová 8. Belarus Dr. Elena Makeyeva GRULAC 9. Cuba Ms. Teresa D. Cruz Sardiñas 10. Peru Ms. Dora Velasquez Milla 11. Mexico Ms. Elleli Huerta Ocampo WEOG 12. European Commission Ms. Alicja Maria Kozłowska 13. Denmark Mr. Christopher Lyal

Executive Secretary

To: ABS National Focal Points, CBD National Focal Points (where ABS focal points have not yet been designated)