Notification 2023-064

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to invite Parties, other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant organizations and initiatives to participate in the workshop on ecosystem restoration-related planning and capacity-building needs for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to be held virtually on 13 July 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT. The workshop is being convened by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity with financial support from the Government of the Republic of Korea, through the Korea Forest Service. It is being organized as part of a series of international fora to be facilitated by the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI). The FERI was established during the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention under the auspices of the COP Presidency of the Republic of Korea, to respond to the need for capacity-building, in particular in support of national implementation by developing country Parties, on forest ecosystem restoration. The FERI is implemented by the Secretariat, together with the Korea Forest Service and various partner organizations, and aims to build partnerships and enhance capacity to achieve global goals and targets relating to forest and ecosystem restoration within the landscape. By sharing knowledge and experience on relevant policy measures and planning tools on ecosystem restoration, the workshop will provide a forum to discuss various capacity needs related to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the monitoring of its progress, in particular for those goals and targets relating to ecosystem restoration, including but not limited to forest ecosystem restoration. The online workshop will be followed by a survey which will inform capacity needs for the revision of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans in line with the Framework. With the above background, Parties and other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant organizations and initiatives are invited to nominate multiple experts to participate in this workshop. Please use the following criteria when submitting nominations. The nominee should: a) Have a responsibility for developing or updating National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans and making decisions on ecosystem restoration or land use/spatial planning; b) Be able to complete a post-workshop survey on capacity-building needs for planning and implementation of ecosystem restoration; and c) Be in a position to translate information and knowledge gained into actions to enhance policy and planning coherence on ecosystem restoration. Nominations must include: i) an official letter addressed to the Executive Secretary, signed by the national focal point or head of the organization/initiative, indicating the name and full contact details of the nominees; and ii) the curriculum vitae of the nominees, clearly indicating their areas of expertise and experience. All nominations must be received as soon as possible but no later than 10 July 2023 (scanned and attached to an e-mail addressed to secretariat@cbd.int). Participants will be selected from among nominees based on relevant expertise and experience, taking into account gender balance and equitable geographical representation, as well as previous experience in scientific, technical and capacity-building work under the Convention and in efforts to implement the Convention. Workshop materials will be sent to the selected participants and posted on the CBD website in due course. The workshop will be held in English. I thank you for your cooperation in this matter and your continued support for the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Acting Executive Secretary

To: CBD national focal points and SBSTTA focal points, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant global and regional organizations and initiatives, cc: Cartagena Protocol focal points, ABS focal points