IUCN World Conservation Congress

The 6^th IUCN World Conservation Congress was held from 1-10 September in Hawai’i (USA). Harry Jonas launched the first draft of the Conservation Standards at an event co-hosted with Gina Cosentina, which was attended by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, among others. As a Co-Chair of the IUCN Task Force on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), he also presented on early guidance on OECMs at an event hosted at the Protected Planet Pavilion. A number of important resolutions were adopted at the Congress’s Assembly, including on: a) recognition and respect of indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) overlapped by protected areas, and b) Enabling the Whakatane Mechanism to contribute to conservation though securing communities’ rights. 

Seventeenth Meeting of the SBSTTA Begins in Montreal, Canada

On October 14, 2013, country delegates, representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities, and other participants came together in Montreal, Canada for the seventeenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). This meeting, chaired by Mr. Gemedo Dalle Tussie (Ethiopia), is particularly noteworthy because it involves an entirely new meeting format. In the past, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) prepared draft recommendations that the Parties attending the SBSTTA meeting then considered throughout the meeting's course. This year, however, the CBD Secretariat did not prepare any draft recommendations. Instead, the first three days of the 17th meeting will consist of expert panels addressing issues on the SBSTTA agenda. Summaries of the discussions held during those panels will then be created in order to draft "conclusions, and if appropriate, recommendations." (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/17/1/Add.2, para. 6(c)). The effectiveness and ramifications of this new format remain to be seen, and some countries have called into question whether the decision to change the format conforms with the decisions regarding SBSTTA adopted during prior Conferences of the Parties.

On the agenda for this meeting are 2 main items: Item 3 -- Facilitating the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets through scientific and technical means; and Item 4 -- Assessing the effects of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention. With regard to Item 3, only the first four Strategic Goals of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (Goals A-D) will be discussed. Thus, Strategic Goal E, and its crucial Target 18 regarding traditional knowledge of and customary use of biological resources by indigenous peoples and local communities will dot be addressed.

Eighth Meeting of Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity Being Held Montreal

From 7 to 11 October 2013, the Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Working Group) will hold its eighth meeting in Montreal, Canada. Several important items are on the agenda this year, including whether to adopt the terminology "indigenous peoples and local communities" (Agenda Item 5); consideration of a draft plan of action on customary sustainable use of biological diversity (Agenda Item 4(a)); consideration of best practice guidelines regarding repatriation of traditional knowledge (Agenda Item 4(b); and potential revision of tasks 7, 10 and 12 of the programme of work on implementation of Article 8(j) (Agenda Item 4(c)). In addition, a number of side events will be held during the meeting addressing a wide variety of topics and issues relevant to Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention. Eli Makagon of Natural Justice will be attending and presenting on Natural Justice's work in this area. For more information, see the meeting documents, and follow IISD's coverage of the event, as well as Natural Justice's blog and Twitter feed. 

Council of the Global Environmental Facility Convenes 44th Meeting

During the week of 17 June, 2013, the Council of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) convened its 44th meeting at the headquarters of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Prior to the start of the meeting, a GEF Council Consultation Meeting with was held with Civil Society Organizations on Monday, 17 June 2013. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, noted that while progress had been made regarding CSO engagement with the GEF, more could be done in this area. More information on the CSO Consultation meeting can be found here. From 18 June to 20 June 2013, the Council of the GEF met to address a variety of issues at its 44th meeting. These included approval of the work programme and budget for the GEF Evaluation Office as well as a discussion on the GEF's role regarding synergies among multilateral environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification. The Council of the GEF also approved a decision for Mexico to host the fifth Assembly of the GEF. More information on this meeting can be found here and the IISD summary report can be found here.