The SDG Knowledge Hub summary of the 2016 UN Biodiversity Conference (including CBD COP 13)

The High-Level Segment of the UN Biodiversity Conference resulted in the ‘Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for Well-Being’.

The thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 13) adopted 38 decisions related to, inter alia, implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The eighth meeting of the COP serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP COP-MOP 8) adopted 19 decisions, including on: compliance; use of the term “indigenous peoples and local communities”; capacity building; and guidance on the operation and activities of the Biosafety Clearing-House.

The COP-MOP 2 to the Nagoya Protocol (NP) adopted 14 decisions, addressing a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism; the Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Clearing-House; compliance; and implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Target 16, among others.

19 December 2016: The UN Biodiversity Conference concluded early Sunday morning, 18 December 2016, after meeting for more than two weeks, in Cancun, Mexico. Held under the theme ‘Mainstreaming biodiversity for well-being,’ the Conference moved towards enhanced implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets through decisions to mainstream biodiversity into productive sectors, and to promote integration among the Convention and its Protocols.

The High-Level Segment (HLS), which convened from 2-3 December 2016, resulted in the ‘Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for Well-Being.’ It was followed by concurrent meetings of the thirteenth meeting of the COP to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the eighth meeting of the COP serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP COP-MOP 8) and the second meeting of the COP serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (NP COP-MOP 2). More than 8,000 delegates attended the Conference.

CBD COP 13 adopted 37 decisions related to, inter alia: implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, including with respect to mainstreaming and the integration of biodiversity within and across sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, tourism and forests; resource mobilization and financial mechanism; budget; capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation; communications strategy; cooperation with other conventions; Article 8(j) (traditional knowledge); marine and coastal biodiversity; invasive alien species (IAS); climate-related geoengineering; synthetic biology; digital sequence information on genetic resources; Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment on pollinators; sustainable wildlife management; operations of the Convention; guidelines for sixth national reports; and the fifth Global Biodiversity Outlook and IPBES.

The Conference considered a number of items on emerging technologies, including synthetic biology, gene drives and digital sequence information on genetic resources, which will help ensure that the Convention remains relevant in future environmental governance.

CP COP-MOP 8 adopted 19 decisions, including on: compliance; integration among the Convention and its Protocols; use of the term “indigenous peoples and local communities”; capacity building; guidance on the operation and activities of the Biosafety Clearing-House; financial mechanism and resources; risk assessment and risk management; unintentional transboundary movements and emergency measures; transit and contained use; review of implementation; socioeconomic considerations; Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress; and public awareness, education and participation.

NP COP-MOP 2 adopted 14 decisions, including on: the need for and modalities of a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism; the Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Clearing-House and information sharing; compliance; implementation of Aichi Biodiversity Target 16 on the Nagoya Protocol; use of the term “indigenous peoples and local communities”; financial mechanism and resources; cooperation with other Conventions; awareness raising; and assessment and review.

The UN Biodiversity Conference also considered a number of items on emerging technologies, including synthetic biology, gene drives and digital sequence information on genetic resources, which will help ensure that the Convention remains relevant in future environmental governance.

The Conference adjourned at 5:03 am on 18 December, following protracted budget discussions. During the closing plenary, Theresa Mundita Lim, the Philippines, was elected Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), and a decision was adopted welcoming the appointment of Cristiana Paşca Palmer of Romania as the new CBD Executive Secretary. Many delegates expressed their appreciation to the outgoing Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, who will be stepping down as his term ends. [IISD RS Coverage of the UN Biodiversity Conference]

On Friday, 16 December, numerous side events took place and discussed, inter alia: key findings from a review of assessments in Côte d’Ivoire, Peru and Namibia on how to mainstream the ecosystem services concept into sectoral and cross-sectoral policies and plans for biodiversity conservation; the role of marine ecosystem services in poverty alleviation, with particular attention given to the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from sustainable fisheries with small-scale fishing communities; experiences and information on innovative financing for biodiversity conservation from Mexico, the EU and China; and progress and experiences on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Heritage Parks Programme, and the second edition of the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook, which was launched and showcases developments for biodiversity conservation in the region. 
Source from: http://sdg.iisd.org/news/un-biodiversity-conference-adopts-over-70-decisions/