EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (IISD) WRITTEN AND EDITED BY: JOHANNAH BERNSTEIN ANILLA CHERIAN LANGSTON JAMES GOREE VI "KIMO" DESIREE MCGRAW STEVE WISE . A DAILY SUMMARY OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 9 December 1994 BIOCOP-I HIGHLIGHTS THURSDAY, 8 DECEMBER 1994 PLENARY The third meeting of the Ministerial Segment of COP-I opened with the Chair's announcement that UNGA had launched the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People today, a significant event for the Convention's implementation. The Plenary included 42 speakers, including 34 countries, three IGOs, one Convention Secretariat and four NGOs. KAZAKHSTAN: Mady Kireev, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Bioresources, highlighted the needs of economies in transition for funding if they are to join the ranks of developed countries. He noted World Bank support for protecting the Caspian Sea, which is now shared by five newly-independent States. MALAWI: Dr. M.S. Nzunda, Minister of Research and Environmental Affairs, called for: a biosafety protocol; a separate COP-guided institutional structure to operate the financial mechanism; inclusion of the role of women in the medium-term work programme; and stricter enforcement of the observer status of non-Parties. BRAZIL: Dr. Getulio Lamartine de Paula, Executive-Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment and the Amazon Region, called for: market access and value added to natural resources; access to and development of biotechnology; national legislation to regulate access to biodiversity; recognition of indigenous knowledge; and a biosafety protocol. He expressed disappointment that the budget's perverse scale of assessments did not reflect the common but differentiated responsibilities. COSTA RICA: Luiz Martinez, M.P. and President of the Ecological Commission, said that if solutions are not found to deal with the destruction of life, no creed, no ethnic group from North or South will be free from responsibility. Biotechnology must service humanity and the benefits of biodiversity must be distributed equitably. BURUNDI: Severin Mfatiye, Minister for Land-Use Planning and the Environment, called for regional agreements on ethnobiology information exchange, a framework study on commercial use of natural resources and development of guidelines for sectoral biodiversity policies. COTE D'IVOIRE: Lancine Gon Coulibaly, Minister of Environment and Tourism, called for an international code on environment as the basis for a new international order of sustainable development. KENYA: John K. Sambu, Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, expressed concern that the Convention does not sufficiently address unsustainable uses of biodiversity or threats posed by the dumping of hazardous wastes in developing countries. He said that the medium-term work programme should prioritize access to and ownership of genetic resources, linked to rights of farmers and local communities. COOK ISLANDS: Minister Vaine Tairea urged the COP to agree on a broad direction for biodiversity. He said that Pacific strengths in biodiversity include marine resources such as reefs and fisheries, the major tropical forest resources outside Africa and Latin America, indigenous peoples and cultures and their traditional knowledge and technology related to the ocean environment. He also supported a UNEP initiative to develop a regime for protecting oceans from land-based pollution. JAMAICA: Easton Douglas, Minister for Public Service and the Environment, said that knowledge of traditional groups is at least as valuable as laboratory based experiments and must be included in discussion of IPRs. He called for regional programmes for biotechnology and genetic mapping to permit manipulation of genetic resources while preserving existing resources such as seed banks. BENIN: Jean-Roger Ahoyo, Minister of Environment, Habitat and Land-Use Planning, said that priority should be given to poverty elimination, capacity building, public awareness, infrastructure and equipment for conservation, and in situ conservation. He supported interim financial mechanism arrangements and development of equitable criteria for the location of the permanent secretariat. MADAGASCAR: Georges A. Rabelaza, Minister for the Environment, said that Madagascar has developed the necessary institutional structure for biodiversity protection, including a national action plan. He offered the participation of a monitoring center in Madagascar. ZAMBIA: Dawson Lupunga, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, noted that the Convention should map out national, regional and international cooperation and assist in capacity building and management of biodiversity. He said that the need to meet full incremental costs merited consideration of other financial structures and suggested that only developing countries should have access to funding. JORDAN: Kraishan Tawfiq, Minister of Municipal & Rural Affairs and the Environment, stressed the need to inventory biological resources. He called for a new partnership to strengthen institutions and capacities and highlighted national involvement in both climate change and biodiversity, in particular for establishing a green belt in arid areas. SOUTH AFRICA: Bantu Holomisa, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, called for: a biosafety protocol; the involvement of local and rural communities; and regional cooperation. He expressed support for Kenya's bid for location, but suggested that, should Kenya not meet the pending criteria, the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment should recommend another African country to locate or co-locate the Secretariat. Underscoring South Africa's biodiversity and infrastructure, he stated that it may be tempted to submit such an invitation. ETHIOPIA: Dr. Mesfin Abebe, Minister of Natural Resources, Development and Environmental Protection, stated that given the devastating drought and famine in his country, the Convention on Biological Diversity is a matter of life and death. He underscored poverty alleviation, the rights of farmers and indigenous people. SENEGAL: Prof. Adoulaye Bathily, Minister for Environment and the Protection of Nature, called for concerted action on the special situation of Sahelian countries. He explained that the juxtaposition of a biodiversity-rich South and a technology-rich North implies mutually advantageous cooperation. ZAIRE: Joseph Ruhana Mirindi, Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism, noted that the IUCN had identified Zaire as the most biologically diverse country in Africa. He underscored several conservation initiatives, including the success of the anti-poaching campaign, undertaken jointly with IUCN, WWF, UNESCO. He highlighted the massive influx of refugees into ecologically-fragile areas. ARMENIA: Mr. Shahinian, Deputy Minister for Nature and Environmental Protection, explained that over 44% of the land was contaminated or eroded due to the widespread deforestation resulting from a fuel shortage. In response to this crisis, Armenia is developing a new legislative package for flora and fauna conservation. POLAND: Mr. Szujecki of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry emphasized technology transfer, information exchange and financial support from the GEF. He also endorsed the recommended schedule of contributions to the Secretariat with voluntary contributions from developing countries and those with economies in transition. TANZANIA: E.K. Mugurusi, Director of Environment, said that the medium-term work programme should demonstrate the potential of new products from biological resources and link protection with rural development, agricultural research, gene banks and other conservation measures. JAPAN: Amb. Hisashi Owada noted that environmental aid, especially for biodiversity conservation, is a priority for Japan's development assistance. He recommended that the GEF should be the institutional body for the financial mechanism because it was established to assist developing countries to resolve global environmental problems, including biodiversity. Japan intends to contribute 20 % of the required resources needed for the GEF. He also stressed that the Convention should promote fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources. ROMANIA: Dr. Marian Ianculescu, State Secretary, urged the CSD to recognize the importance of sustainable forest management for biodiversity He said that sustainable forestry should be addressed by COP-II and III. AUSTRALIA: Amb. Penelope Wensley on behalf of John Faulkner, Minister of Environment, commended the inclusion in the medium-term work programme of marine and coastal biodiversity. She underlined the role of indigenous peoples, and noted that while this issue will be addressed in the 1996 work programme, preparatory discussions should start at COP-II. She would have preferred to include specific work on forests. UNDP: Sarah L. Timpson, Acting Assistant Administrator on behalf of Gustave Speth, Administrator, highlighted UNDP's particular capabilities and noted that UNDP could provide support to the clearing-house mechanism. UNDP's commitment to capacity-building was stressed, including GEF financing for 23 projects amounting to US$87million out of a total biodiversity allocation of US$313 million for 57 projects. GUYANA: Dr. Lakeram Chatarpaul, Coordinator of the President's Office of Environmental Affairs, called for the transfer of practical, proven technologies on preferential terms and consideration of access to markets as part of equitable benefit-sharing. DENMARK: Ole Plougmann, Deputy Permanent Undersecretary of State for Environment and Energy, supported the integration of biodiversity concerns into sectoral and cross-sectoral policies, as well as the provisions on economic incentives such as green tax programmes. He said that the statement to the CSD could have been stronger on some priorities, especially forests, and recommended a dialogue on forests with the CSD and other institutions. CHILE: Amb. Vincente Sanchez supported including modalities for a biosafety protocol in the medium-term work programme, but expressed concern that administrative and financial provisions for the Secretariat should not prevent work toward a biosafety protocol. He suggested that because the Convention deals with more than wild genetic resources, there is a need to coordinate with programs on genetic resources for agriculture. REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Amb. H. El Joung Binn Lee said that transfer of technology and financial mobilization are keys to the Convention's success. He recommended that the financial mechanism should be agreed upon at COP-II. He noted that Korea is planning a voluntary contribution as a developing country. CUBA: Gisela A. Dominguez, Director of Environmental Policy, stressed the protection of IPRs, indigenous knowledge and a biosafety protocol. She said that technology transfer and cooperation in biodiversity should be done on an equitable basis. SEYCHELLES: Claude Morel, Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted the environmental vulnerability for SIDS. He stressed the linkage between socio-economic development and the environment. 43% of his country's land mass has been committed to conservation projects. BULGARIA: Yordan Uzunov, Deputy Minister of Environment, said that despite the absence of formal ratification, protected areas and forest laws have been introduced. He noted that a national conservation strategy was being developed in accordance with the Convention. He supported the GEF as the financial mechanism. ALBANIA: Lirim Selfo, Chairman of the Committee of Environmental Protection, noted that the environmental problems were neglected until three years ago in his country and stressed the need for institutions and a legal framework to deal with forests and biodiversity loss. He called for equitable distribution of GEF resources to country Parties. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Mick N. Raga, Assistant Secretary on behalf of the Minister of Environment said that climate change and biodiversity loss, including the loss of forests, posed a serious threat and called for mandatory investment in the capacity building of resource owners. CAMEROON: Augustine Bokwe, on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Forestry, said that environmental policies were being developed to assist rural populations towards sustainable use of biodiversity, stressing in particular the participatory approach and rights of village communities. PARAGUAY: Victor C. Vidal, Vice-Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, noted the increase of protected areas from 2.5% to 5 %. Among other measures, a survey of ecologically fragile areas was being conducted. FAO: Dr. Hartwig de Haen, Assistant Director General, on behalf of the Director General, stressed commitment to the Convention's implementation and offered both experts and resources in the area of agro biodiversity. He underscored the importance of farmers' rights for sustainable development and the need to associate agricultural ministries in biodiversity programmes. UNESCO: Pierre Lasserre on behalf of Federico Mayor, Director General, highlighted UNESCO's role in education, literacy and science programmes, including creation of the IUCN. He noted the work done in: the IOC; MAB; regional networks; the Education and Population Project and the International Forum. INCD: Bernardo Zantilli, on behalf of Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat for the Desertification Convention, highlighted some of the important linkages between the two conventions: the impact of desertification to biodiversity on every continent; and the need for a homogenous planning framework to combat desertification and to protect biodiversity in arid lands. CGIAR: The representative reported that CGIAR had signed an agreement with FAO, confirming the status of the centers as trustees of genetic resources collections and bringing these collections under FAO auspices. CAB INTERNATIONAL: The representative said that CAB International is also ready to contribute to the needs of the Convention. IUCN: Jeff McNeely of the IUCN, supported the reference in the COP's statement to the CSD regarding forests, but expressed disappointment that no such reference is actually made in the medium-term work programme. He reiterated IUCN's offer to provide continued assistance to the Secretariat and UNEP in the implementation phase. THIRD WORLD NETWORK: Chee Yoke Lin, spoke on behalf of several NGOs. She applauded the frank discussion on the GEF and cited the importance of the Secretariat study on other sources of financial support. She urged the working group on biosafety to focus its work on the modalities of the protocol. THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY PLENARY: The Ministerial speeches will continue until the speaker's list is exhausted. The Plenary will then begin consideration of all outstanding matters. BIODIVERSITY DAY: Look for countries to consider UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell's proposal to declare December 29, the date of the Convention's entry into force, an International Biodiversity Day when a prize would be awarded to an individual, institution or community for outstanding actions in support of biological diversity. This issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin is written and edited by Johannah Bernstein, Anilla Cherian , Langston James Goree VI "Kimo" , Desiree McGraw and Steve Wise . General support for the work of the Bulletin has been provided by the International Institute for Sustainable Development , the Government of Denmark and the World Bank. Specific funding for coverage of the CBD has been provided by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management, UNEP and WWF. The authors can be contacted at their electronic mail addresses and during this meeting by phone at +1 809 327 6000 room 193 and by fax at +1 809 327 6987. IISD can be contacted by phone at +1-204-958-7700, by fax at +1-204-958-7710. The opinions expressed in Earth Negotiations Bulletin are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and other funders. Excerpts from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin may be used in other publications with appropriate citation. 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