Association of South East Asian Nations

The 22nd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 22) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) opened Monday morning, 2 July 2018, in Montreal, Canada. SBSTTA Chair Theresa Mundita Lim (Philippines) implored delegates to focus on the provision of scientific, technical, and technological advice, rather than politics. CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Pașca Palmer highlighted that while significant progress has been made, biodiversity loss is continuing at alarming rates. Following the opening plenary, delegates engaged in discussions on the following agenda items: Digital sequence information on genetic resources (DSI); Risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms (LMOs); and Synthetic biology. For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis from SBSTTA 22 and SBI 2. Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page L-R: Worku Damena Yifru, CBD Secretariat; Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat; SBSTTA 22 Chair Theresa Mundita Lim, the Philippines; CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Paşca Palmer; and CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper SBSTTA 21 Chair Theresa Mundita Lim, the Philippines CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Paşca Palmer Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat Samuel Dieme, Rapporteur CBD SBSTTA 22 paused for a moment of silence in memory of Cheikh Ould Sidi Mohamed, Mauritania; Benoit Nzigidahera, Burundi; and Johansen Voker, Liberia. Andreas Obrecht, UNEP Gabriele Obermayr, Austria, on behalf of the EU Marthin Kasaona, Namibia Ilham Atho Mohamed, Maldives L-R: Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat; Ilham Atho Mohamed (Maldives), SBSTTA Bureau; and Manoela Pessoa de Miranda, CBD Secretariat Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt Liu Yan, China T. Rabikumar, India Sergiy Gubar, Ukraine José Luis Echeverría Tello, Guatemala Shirin Karryeva, Turkmenistan Mphatso Martha Kalemba, Malawi Leina Al-Awadhi, Kuwait Christian Schwarzer, Global Youth Biodiversity Network Lim Li Ching, Third World Network L-R: Abdul-Hakim Aulaiah, Yemen; Belal Alhayek, Syria; and Raed Bani-Hani, Jordan, in informal discussions on synthetic biology L-R: Kimo Goree, Vice President IISD; Elfriede Anna More, Austria; and Horst Korn, Germany L-R: Sugeng Harmono, Andri Wahyono, Endah Ambarwati, Lulu Agustina, and Dirhansyah Conbul, Indonesia L-R: Clarissa Arida and Elpidio Peria, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity L-R: Fedor Shestakov, Observer; Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat; and Marina von Weissenberg, Finland L-R: Segundo Angel Onofa Guayasamin, Wilson Rojas, Andrés Ricardo Factos Mendoza, and Alba Katherine Calles Procel, Ecuador Delegates from Thailand L-R: Johany Martinez, Franca d'Amico, and Lisa Pedicelli, CBD Secretariat

Hans Friederich, Director-General, International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), addresses participants during the first day of BARC 2018 The Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress (BARC 2018) opened today at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, China, welcoming around 1,200 participants, including 500 from other countries. Zhang Jianlong, Administrator, National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), conveyed a welcome message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, followed by video messages from Lenin Moreno, President, Ecuador, and Juan Manuel Santos, President, Colombia, and an address by Shitaye Minale, Deputy Speaker of the House, Ethiopia. Speakers highlighted their commitment to sustainable development and highlighted ongoing cooperation efforts on the use of bamboo and rattan in livelihoods, land restoration and mitigation of climate change. Hans Friederich, Director-General, INBAR, expressed appreciation to the Government of China for its role in organizing the conference. Hao Mingjin, Standing Committee, China National People’s Congress, highlighted China’s readiness to promote and deepen South-South cooperation, support INBAR’s work, and cooperate with the international community to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rubén Flores, Chair, INBAR Board of Trustees, presented Jiang Zehui, Chair, BARC organizing committee, with a lifetime achievement award for her work in forest science, developing global standards for bamboo engineering, and enabling China’s support for INBAR and its establishment as an international organization. A ministerial summit took place in the morning, and a plenary dialogue on South-South cooperation in the early afternoon. Later in the day, parallel sessions convened around the venue, discussing experiences of bamboo and rattan-related cooperation among countries, public and private sectors, and industry and research actors.The Congress features an exhibition of bamboo products and innovations such as wind turbine blades made from bamboo.In the evening, participants attended a welcome dinner on the theme ‘Yong’an Night.’ IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital web coverage and daily reports from BARC 2018. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, will publish a summary report from this Conference on Saturday, 30 June 2018.   Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera   For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Opening Plenary Melodious a capella chorus by Miao and She singers from the cultural heritage bamboo forest areas of Yong’an and Yibin, China Participants watched a video about BARC 2018 Zhang Jianlong, Administrator, China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) Lenin Moreno, President of Ecuador, addresses participants via a video message Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, delivers a speech via a video message Shitaye Minale, Deputy Speaker of the House, Ethiopia Hans Friederich, Director-General, International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) Hao Mingjin, Standing Committee, China National People’s Congress Rubén Flores, Chair, INBAR Board of Trustees Rubén Flores (right), Chair, INBAR Board of Trustees, presented Jiang Zehui (left), Chair, BARC Organizing Committee, with a lifetime achievement award. Jiang Zehui, Chair, BARC Organizing Committee Ministerial Summit Rubén Flores, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Ecuador William J.C. Hutchinson, Minister Without Portfolio, Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Jamaica Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Minister of Forestry, Nepal Nicolas Rossellini, UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in China Zhang Jianlong, Administrator, NFGA Jiang Zehui, Co-Chair, INBAR Board of Trustees Achim Steiner, Administrator, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Graziano da Silva, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) The dais during the panel discussion Ibrahim Jibril, Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria Benito Owusu-Bio, Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, Ghana Nonita Caguioa, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines Yamil Sanchez, Ministry of the Environment, Panama Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono, Minister of State, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Mark Halle, INBAR Board of Trustees Signing Ceremony Charlotte Salford, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Hans Friederich, INBAR Director-General Hans Friederich, INBAR Director-General, and Gerhard Dieterle, Executive Director, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) High-Level Dialogue on South-South Cooperation and the Belt and Road Initiative Charlotte Salford, IFAD Jiang Xiandong, Party Secretary of Yong’an City, China The dais during the panel discussion Gunter Pauli, the Club of Rome Cynthia Villar, Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, the Philippines Jenny Kim’s presentation of GGGI’s work in urban transformation Jenny Kim, Deputy Director General, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Paul van de Logt, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Dessima Williams, former UN Special Adviser for Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, Grenada Francois Martel, Secretary General of the Pacific Island Development Forum, Fiji, and Charlotte Salford, IFAD Parallel Session on Exploring Guadua's Potential in the Andean Region Pablo Jácome, Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, INBAR Hans Friederich, Director-General, INBAR Rubén Flores, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Ecuador A slide from Rubén Flores’ presentation Gustavo Mostajo Ocala, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Peru A slide from Gustavo Mostajo Ocala’s presentation Jorge Augusto Montoya, Guadua Federation of Colombia (FEDEGUADUA) A slide from Jorge Augusto Montoya’s presentation Parallel Session on ‘B&R4B&R’: Bamboo and Rattan for Belt and Road Fang Li, China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), and Ministry of Ecology and Environment, China Li Ling, FAO Neville Ash, Director, UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) L-R: Wang Binbin, UN Office for South-South Cooperation; Ponika Chan, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Cambodia; Xie Chen, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China; Zhang Yang, China-ASEAN Environmental Cooperation Center/China Center for SCO Envrionmental Cooperation; Agena Anjulo, Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute; and Winston Chow, GGGI Participants during the session Parallel Session on Evaluating Africa’s Natural Capital Ruud Jansen, Executive Secretary of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) Shitaye Minale, Deputy Speaker of the House, Ethiopia Ibrahim Usman Jibril, Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria Mary Goretti Kitutu Kimono, Minister of State, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda MoU Signing Ceremony between INBAR and GDSA Hans Friederich, Director-General, INBAR, and Ruud Jansen, GDSA Executive Secretary Participants listen to panelists Around the Venue  

On its third and final day, the 5th APFSD hosted the "Engagement Space", which featured events organized to encourage lively discussions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities on the SDGs. One event launched the Partnership for Online Platforms & Sustainable Development, a project of the Asia Foundation with the support of ESCAP. On the sidelines of the Forum, a high-level dialogue was convened to enhance synergies in implementing the SDGs and promoting resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. The dialogue launched the report “Complementarities between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A Framework Action.” Shamshad Akhtar, Executive Secretary, ESCAP, stressed that the report focuses on five key priorities that remain challenging for the region: poverty eradication, infrastructure and connectivity, sustainable management of natural resources, sustainable consumption and production, and resilience. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, highlighted three proposals through which the Thai Government aims to strengthen resilience in the ASEAN countries: creating an ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue; developing a Complementarities Roadmap for 2018-2019; and cooperating with the private sector to promote sustainable consumption and production. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, ASEAN Secretariat, praised the dialogue as an opportunity to exchange views among key players and to serve as a platform to energize regional cooperation and resilience in the Asia-Pacific region. In the afternoon, the 5th APFSD adopted the Chair’s summary report of the Forum, which is the main Asia-Pacific input to the upcoming High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to be held in New York in July 2018. In closing remarks, Shamshad Akhtar reaffirmed the Forum as a vital space for fostering resilience and multi-level partnerships, and ensuring that no one is left behind in the Asia-Pacific region. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, hass provided daily digital coverage and a summary report from the 5th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development - Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies. The summary report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by ESCAP A lively discussion on the sidelines of the APFSD 2018. John Karr, Asia Foundation, speaks at the launch of the Partnership for Online Platforms & Sustainable Development. Katinka Weinberger, ESCAP Secretariat, reflects on SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).