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A. - Progress in revising/updating and implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans and submission of fifth national reports
1.Expresses its appreciation to the Government of Japan and other donors for their most generous contribution to support developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, small island developing States and countries with economies in transition, in developing the capacity to review and, as appropriate, update and revise their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and to prepare their fifth national reports;
2.Expressesits gratitude to international organizations and convention secretariats, especially the Global Environment Facility and its implementing agencies, for their efforts in facilitating developing countries, in particular, the least developed countries, small island developing States and countries with economies in transition, to review and, as appropriate, update and revise their national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and to prepare their fifth national reports;
3.Recalls decisions X/2, X/10 and XI/2 and XI/3, and commends those Parties and other Governments that have reviewed and, as appropriate, updated and revised their national biodiversity strategies and action plans in line with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, adopted relevant indicators, and submitted their fifth national reports;
4.Urges those Parties that have not yet done so, to review and, as appropriate, update and revise their national biodiversity strategies and action plans in line with the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, to adopt indicators at the national level as soon as possible and, in any event, no later than October 2015, and to submit their fifth national reports;
5.Calls upon all Parties to continue and to accelerate the implementation of their national biodiversity strategies and action plans in order to contribute towards the mission, goals and targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
B. - Enhancing support in implementing the objectives of the Convention and its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020
Recognizing the importance of a coherent and mutually supportive approach regarding capacity-building, exchange of information, technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer under the Convention and its Protocols,
Welcoming the funding provided by the Government of Japan, and the Governments of Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay as well as the European Union and the Global Environment Facility,
1. - Provision of support for revising, updating and implementing national biodiversity strategies and action plans and capacity-buildingRecognizing the good progress made in the provision of support for revising and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans,Also recognizing that capacity and financial gaps remain at the national level, especially in developing countries,Welcoming the efforts of the Executive Secretary to further facilitate and promote, in cooperation with the secretariats of other biodiversity-related conventions and the implementing agencies of the Global Environment Facility, capacity-building support to Parties for the effective implementation of the Convention and its Protocols,Mindful of the need for continued capacity-building support to Parties, especially the developing countries among them, in order to further enhance the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets,Recognizing the need for continued capacity-building support to indigenous and local communities,
1.Invites Parties, other Governments, indigenous and local communities, relevant organizations and the business sector, as appropriate, to share information on their capacity‑building initiatives, including emerging best practices and lessons learned, and opportunities, as provided for in section 2, paragraph 11 (a) below;
2.Encourages developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, as well as indigenous and local communities, to make available information regarding their capacity-building needs and priorities identified through, inter alia, national, subnational and local capacity self-assessments, and to incorporate them in their national biodiversity strategies and action plans with respect to the implementation of the Convention as provided for in section 2, paragraph 10 below;
3.Encourages Parties, particularly developing country Parties, to ensure inclusion and enhancement of effective monitoring mechanisms in the current and future versions of their national biodiversity strategy and action plans with emphasis on identifying capacity-building needs and priorities as called for in paragraph 2 of this decision;
4.Encourages partners to support activities initiated at the national level to implement the national biodiversity strategies and action plans;
5.Invites Parties to establish and maintain programmes for scientific and technical education and training and societal participation for the identification, survey, monitoring, conservation, restoration, sustainable use of biodiversity and its components, and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, especially developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition;
6.Encourages Parties, in accordance with their capabilities, to provide funding in the context of the above paragraphs;
7.Invites developed country Parties and donors to provide funding to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, for the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans as well as for capacity-building based on the information regarding capacity-building needs and priorities made available by the Parties;
(a)Recalling paragraph 10 of decision XI/2, and in collaboration and cooperation with relevant organizations and processes, to continue promoting and facilitating activities to strengthen the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020, and to further progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets at the regional, subregional, national, subnational and local levels;
(b)To support and facilitate capacity-building initiatives relevant to targets where implementation has been weak, especially in developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition;
(c)To support and facilitate capacity-building initiatives for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and national biodiversity strategies and action plans, especially for developing country Parties, and in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition;
(d)To undertake (i) an evaluation of the effectiveness of capacity-building activities that the Secretariat has supported and facilitated, including recommendations on how to further integrate the needs expressed by Parties using participatory approaches, (ii) a review of related partnership arrangements and opportunities for delivery; and (iii) an analysis of the gaps in capacity-building activities supporting the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and, building on these elements, develop a short-term action plan to enhance and support capacity-building, especially for developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition, and to convene an expert group to examine the proposed short-term action plan prior to its submission to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its first meeting, for its consideration prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
(e)To promote the use of available mechanisms and advanced technologies, including the clearing-house mechanism, to further enhance capacity-building, technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(f)To ensure that information on capacity-building and technical and scientific cooperation needs, opportunities and activities is shared effectively across, and accessed through, all platforms under the Convention;
(g)To facilitate matching between needs, opportunities and activities, for capacity‑building, inter alia, by organizing special matching side events during relevant regional and international meetings;
(h)To report on progress made and results achieved to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its first meeting, for its consideration prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
9.Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with partners, taking into account and avoiding duplication with other efforts, such as those of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and subject to the availability of resources, to enhance technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer under the Convention, with a view to supporting the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as well as revised and updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans, by, inter alia:
(a)Facilitating the communication of technical and scientific needs and priorities of Parties, utilizing the clearing-house mechanism and other appropriate means;
(b)Further enhancing the availability and accessibility of information with respect to best practices and expertise for technical and scientific cooperation to make it more readily and effectively available through the clearing-house mechanism and other appropriate means, and encouraging and supporting South-South and triangular cooperation for mutual strengthening of the capacities of developing country Parties;
(c)Facilitating the linking of the needs of Parties with support for technical and scientific cooperation by relevant global, regional and national organizations and initiatives;
(d)In the context of paragraph 9 (c) above and building on existing structures, promoting thematic, cross-cutting and regional pilot programmes for technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer;
(e)Reportingon progress to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its first meeting, with a view to assisting the evaluation of progress in technical and scientific cooperation, taking into account also the transfer of technology and, information in national reports;
10.Encourages developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, as well as indigenous and local communities, to make available information regarding their technical and scientific needs and priorities, and needs for technology transfer, and to make them available through the clearing-house mechanism;
11.Encourages Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations, stakeholders and other entities, taking into account and avoiding duplication with other efforts, to participate in and contribute to technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer under the Convention, and in particular:
(a)To share, including through the clearing-house mechanism, as appropriate, information on good practices and the provision of expertise for technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer;
(b)To provide technical and scientific support and associated capacity-building, using the information made available pursuant to paragraph 9 (a) above;
(c)To promote collaborative partnerships for technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer on a thematic, cross-cutting and/or regional basis;
12.Invites developed country Parties, and others in a position to do so, to provide financial, technical and human resources to enable the further enhancement of technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer among Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and Parties with economies in transition, as well as indigenous and local communities;
13.Welcomes with appreciation the proposed Bio-Bridge Initiative as an important contribution to the Pyeongchang Roadmap on enhancement of technical and scientific cooperation in the context of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Targets.
3. - Clearing-house mechanismRecalling decision IX/30, in which Parties are encouraged to take the necessary steps to establish strong and sustainable national clearing-house mechanisms, and Parties, other Governments, relevant agencies and other donors are invited to provide resources to enable developing country Parties to take those steps, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition,Also recalling decision X/15, in which Parties are encouraged to continue to take the necessary steps to establish, strengthen and ensure the sustainability of national clearing-house mechanisms,Further recalling the work programme for the clearing-house mechanism in support of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20201 and its recommended activities,Taking note of the progress report on the clearing-house mechanism,2Noting the low number of Parties having an active national clearing-house mechanism,Emphasizing the importance of providing effective information services that contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and to the national biodiversity strategies and action plans,Also emphasizing the importance of the national clearing-house mechanisms for the implementation of the Convention;
14.Invites Parties and other users to submit information through the central clearing-house mechanism and to provide user feedback whenever possible;
15.Strongly encourages Parties to accelerate the establishment and development of their national clearing-house mechanisms where they have not done so, and requests the Executive Secretary to propose, in collaboration with the informal advisory committee to the clearing-house mechanism, a process to grant, at the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Conference of the Parties, subject to the availability of resources, an award to the Parties that have made the most significant progress in the establishment or further development of their national clearing-house mechanisms;
16.Invites Parties and partners to provide support to developing country Parties that are developing their national clearing-house mechanisms;
17.Invites Parties and donors to continue to provide financial support to establish and strengthen their national clearing-house mechanisms, including for content preparation, and for translation to facilitate the sharing of information and knowledge;
18.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to continue developing the information services of the central clearing-house mechanism, taking into account user feedback as well as recommendations from the informal advisory committee to the clearing-house mechanism, including:
(a)The establishment of a fully functional online reporting tool enabling Parties to submit, on a voluntary basis, information on their progress towards national targets and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, directly involving Parties in the development and testing of this tool;
(b)Interoperability with national clearing-house mechanisms, among which is the existing portal toolkit used by many national and regional clearing-house mechanisms, where applicable;
(c)Interoperability with InforMEA to allow relevant information on the Convention on Biological Diversity to be globally searchable on the InforMEA website;
(d)The maintenance of a high-quality website for the Convention in all six United Nations languages, noting the fact that its Chinese language version is not well established;
19.Also requests the Executive Secretary to develop a web strategy to ensure that all information common or relevant to the clearing-house mechanism, the Access and Benefit‑sharing Clearing-House and the Biosafety Clearing-House, as well as other platforms developed under the Convention, such as the NBSAP Forum, the website for ecologically and biologically significant marine areas3 and any future similar developments, can be accessed centrally to avoid duplication of efforts, and to provide this strategy to the Subsidiary Body on Implementation, for its consideration at its first meeting, in preparation for the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
Recalling decision X/8, which called upon the United Nations General Assembly to declare the period 2011-2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, and the subsequent United Nations General Assembly resolution 65/161, which established it,
Recalling also decision XI/2, section D, and its calls for action in support of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity by the Executive Secretary and Parties,
Recalling further decision XI/14 B, paragraph 5, and its specific calls for action related to indigenous and local communities,
Recalling decision XI/2, paragraph 21, that encourages Parties to promote the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity in ways appropriate to national circumstances, for example, protection of Mother Earth, to create dialogues and to share experiences,
Recalling recommendation XVII/1, paragraph 3 (a), in which the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice identified the need for better ways to draw on social sciences to motivate choices consistent with the objectives of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and to develop new approaches as key scientific and technical need related to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020,
Taking into account the conclusions of the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook with regard to the status of implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Target 1, and the importance of this target as the basis for implementation of many of the other Targets,
Also taking into account the accomplishments and lessons learned from the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization including the work of regional centres of expertise,
1.Invites Parties to promote public awareness of the values of biodiversity, including through the following actions that may be used flexibly according to national circumstances:
(a)To establish and use national indicators, where appropriate, for elements of their national biodiversity and action plans that relate to Aichi Biodiversity Target 1;
(b)To promote surveys at the level of the general public, as well as for key target groups, on the level of public awareness of biodiversity, its multidimensional values and the steps that can be taken to conserve and sustainably use it, and share the results through the clearing house-mechanism;
(c)To work with all relevant stakeholders, through mechanisms such as national committees, to promote the development and utilization of communication strategies for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity that support the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and in particular the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Target 1, and as a contribution to the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity;
(d)To make full use of the International Day for Biological Diversity, celebrated on 22 May of every year, following the themes established by the Executive Secretary to raise awareness of the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and, where relevant, other events, such as International Mother Earth Day,4 22 April, which promotes better harmony between people and nature in Mother Earth;
(e)To work with subnational authorities and their networks of partners to implement national biodiversity strategies and action plans, including actions taken to achieve Target 1, and to communicate progress towards the goals and targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
(f)To promote research and the development of guidance on behavioural change methodologies and approaches to support communication and awareness-raising for the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
2Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources, to further promote awareness-raising, in collaboration with relevant actors, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in particular through the following activities:
(a)Facilitating the development of a global communication strategy, to be implemented over the second half of the United Nations Decade, incorporating messaging approaches to be used as a flexible framework for Parties and relevant organizations;
(b)Developing, improving and updating toolkits for communication, education and public awareness, based on identified user needs, and making them available through the clearing-house mechanism, ensuring that the tools and approaches listed therein are relevant for the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and taking into account new research on communication, marketing and social marketing perspectives;
(c)Conducting a workshop, on the basis of a review of existing knowledge and a gap analysis and in collaboration with representatives of different stakeholder groups and taking into account behavioural analysis studies, to develop and utilize messaging approaches for the specific target groups in the context of the different Aichi Biodiversity Targets and to report on the outcomes of the workshop to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting;
(d)Collaborating with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other relevant actors to integrate issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity into actions for Education for Sustainable Development, as appropriate;
3.Also requests the Executive Secretary, subject to availability of resources in carrying out the tasks outlined in paragraph 2 above, to promote the full and effective participation of relevant stakeholder groups, including, inter alia, indigenous and local communities, youth, women, business, and local and subnational authorities, taking into account the particular needs of developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and Parties with economies in transition, and with this in mind, to continue to work in cooperation with established partners and initiatives, including the Commission for Education and Communication of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group of the Arctic Council, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, other relevant agencies of the United Nations system and others, and to also work with networks involving cities and their associated networks of partners, such as natural history museums, botanical gardens, zoos and aquariums, as well as networks of citizen groups that encompass the above-mentioned stakeholder groups;
4.Invites the Executive Secretary, subject to availability of resources, to facilitate the organization of an interactive dialogue on living in harmony with nature at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and invites the United Nations General Assembly to make available to the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting the outcomes of the interactive dialogue on Harmony with Nature of the United Nations General Assembly.