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Earth
Negotiations Bulletin:| |
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| 10 March |
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| 11 March |
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| 12 March |
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| 13 March |
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| 14 March |
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| SUMMARY |
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| SUMMARY | |||
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Highlights for Friday, 14 March 2003
The eighth session of the
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and technological Advice
(SBSTTA-8) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met from 10-14
March 2003, in Montreal, Canada. Approximately 460 participants attended,
representing 121 governments, as well as UN agencies, intergovernmental,
non-governmental, indigenous and academic organizations. Delegates to
SBSTTA-8 adopted 11 recommendations on: mountain biodiversity, the main
theme for the meeting; inland waters; marine and coastal biodiversity; dry
and sub-humid lands; biodiversity and tourism; and SBSTTA operations.| Closing Plenary: |
 On Friday, 14 March, Chair Plesnik
opened the closing Plenary session and called for regional nominations
for the Bureau. Delegates elected Boumediene Mahi (Algeria), Mitzi
Gurgel Valente da Costa (Brazil), Robert Lamb (Switzerland), Theresa
Mundita Lim (the Philippines) and Yaroslav Movchan (Ukraine). Alfred Oteng-Yeboah (Ghana), Ashgar
Mohammadi Fazel (Iran), Peter Straka (Slovakia), Joseph Ronald Toussaint
(Haiti) and Robert Andren (Sweden) will remain in office as Bureau
members. Chair Plesnik then welcomed SBSTTA 9/10 Chair Oteng-Yeboah. |
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 WG-I Chair Andren (left) presented the report of WG-I (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/8/L.1/Add.1), which was adopted without amendment. |
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 Delegates then addressed a Chair's proposal on the provisional agenda for SBSTTA-9, which amended the agenda contained in UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/8/15. The Chair's proposed agenda included: progress reports on the thematic work programmes, cross-cutting issues and the Bureau's intersessional activities; three main themes, including protected areas, technology transfer and cooperation, and mountain ecosystems; an in-depth review on biodiversity and climate change; and other substantive issues, including the ecosystem approach, sustainable use, monitoring and indicators, and incentive measures. |
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 The EC said that three main themes would overburden the agenda and suggested addressing mountain ecosystems under other substantive issues. Delegates agreed. |
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 New Zealand called for postponing consideration of some items, to allow for proper preparation and deliberation, and noted that SBSTTA-8 had failed to complete a less challenging agenda. Following delegates' request, the Secretariat reported on preparatory work on the ecosystem approach, indicators and sustainable use. |
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 Jamaica suggested postponing consideration of monitoring and indicators, and of incentive measures. Delegates debated the proposal, with some stressing the importance of monitoring and indicators for achieving the WSSD goal on reducing biodiversity loss by 2010. They finally decided to postpone consideration of incentive measures only. |
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 New Zealand recorded its objection, highlighting that an unrealistic agenda would make it impossible for the meeting to complete its work. As announced by the Secretariat, SBSTTA-9 will be held from 10-14 November 2003, in Montreal, Canada. Right photo: Jo Mulongoy (CBD), SBSTTA-8 Secretary. |
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 On protected areas, the Secretariat reported on the work of the expert group and its upcoming meeting, and on collaboration with IUCN on the 5th World Congress on Protected Areas. Highlighting the difficulties faced by Africa on the issue of protected areas, Senegal called for participation of African countries in the expert group. |
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 Regarding other matters, Syria suggested earmarking financial resources for capacity building, especially for research, and Chair Plesnik noted that SBSTTA is not the appropriate body to address financial issues. |
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At the conclusion of Plenary's substantive work, CBD Executive Secretary Hamdallah Zedan thanked all participants and congratulated Oteng-Yeboah and Bureau members on their election. |
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(Photo below from
left to right)
Tunisia, on behalf of the African Group, Peru, on behalf of GRULAC, Syria, on behalf of the Arab Group, China, on behalf of Asia and the Pacific countries, Slovakia, on behalf of Central and Eastern European countries, and Greece, on behalf of the EU, made closing statements of appreciation. |
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The Arab Group urged Parties to oppose to the war in Iraq. SBSTTA-8 Chair Plesnik and SBSTTA-9/10 Chair Oteng-Yeboah addressed the meeting, and thanked participants. Chair Plesnik then gaveled the meeting to a close at 5:00 pm. |
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| SBSTTA-8 SNAPSHOTS: | ||
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Links
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ENB Summary of
CBD SBSTTA-7 ( 
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