Notification 2018-090

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to announce that the Global Taxonomy Initiative Forum (GTI Forum) will be held in the framework of the UN Biodiversity Conference on 16 November 2018 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. This Forum is made possible thanks to the generous financial support from the Government of Japan through the Japan Biodiversity Fund and with contributions of taxonomic expert organizations in the field of biodiversity knowledge and technologies. The GTI Forum will be composed of a symposium, panel discussions and round table discussions to review the taxonomic capacity building since the adoption of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (decision X/2) and the Capacity-building Strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative (decision XI/29) and it will consider the international and collaborative approaches among Parties, observers and taxonomic institutions to enhance the process for the preparation of the post-2020 agenda at the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and other relevant processes. I am pleased to invite Parties, other Governments, indigenous people and local community organizations, scientists, and representatives of civil society and the private sector to participate in the Forum. Kindly note that the event is open only to the registered participants of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 14, COP/MOP9 and COP/MOP3). The provisional agenda for the GTI Forum can be found at http://www.cbd.int/conferences/2018/parallel-meetings/The-Global-Taxonomy-Initiative-Forum . The Expert Kiosk on Taxonomy and Invasive Alien Species will also be set up in the exhibition area of the UN Biodiversity Conference from 17 to 29 November 2018 and the outcomes of the GTI-DNA-tech training courses held in 2018 (please refer to notifications 2017-110 and 2018-021) will be presented at the Kiosk. Informal exchanges with experts on the application of DNA technologies, taxonomy and bioinformatics will be available at the Kiosk. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points, GTI National Focal Points, GTI-Coordination Mechanism, Inter-Agency Liaison Group on Invasive Alien Species, indigenous peoples and local communities, other relevant organizations and partners