The seventh meeting of the Ad hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) opened in Montreal, Canada, on Monday, 31 October 2011. Charles Patton, Mohawk Nation, welcomed delegates to Mohawk traditional territory and conducted a ceremonial opening of the meeting.

Working Group Co-Chair Kazuaki Hoshino (Japan), for the COP 10 President, underscored the recent achievements of the Working Group, including the adoption of the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing; the role of indigenous and local communities in contributing to the achievement of the Aichi Targets and the Convention’s objectives; and the new major component on Article 10(c) (customary sustainable use) in the work programme on Article 8(j). CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf highlighted that Aichi target 18 aims to integrate traditional knowledge in all CBD processes and that the Working Group should provide guidance on Article 10(c) in relation to the operationalization of the Nagoya Protocol.

In the morning, delegates considered the report on progress in the implementation of Article 8(j), including its integration in thematic areas and cross-cutting issues. In the afternoon, the Working Group considered participatory mechanisms for indigenous and local communities in the work of the Convention and started discussing Article 10(c) as a major component of the work programme on Article 8(j).