Caribbean Community

On Monday, 27 March, the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to make recommendations on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (PrepCom 3) convened in plenary in the morning, chaired by Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil. During the brief session, delegates heard from Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Legal Affairs, on progress on marine issues relating to the work of the PrepCom. Delegates then met in an informal working group on marine genetic resources (MGRs) including questions on the sharing of benefits, which met for the rest of the day, facilitated by Janine Coye-Felson, Belize. Considerations on MGRs will continue on Tuesday, 28 March. Side events also took place over lunchtime on experiences of benefit-sharing regimes and their potential relevance to MGRs and capacity building in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), and options for using area-based planning tools in ABNJ. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 3rd Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292 “Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.” Our summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page View of the opening session chaired by Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ali Nasimfar, Iran Ismail Raushan Zahir, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Drusila Esther Bayate, the Philippines Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS View of the room of PrepCom 3 from the perspective of the dais Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Kamal Shali Ghimire, Nepal Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Alain Tellier, Canada José Luis Fernández Valoni, Argentina Haryo Budi Nugroho, Indonesia Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Rena Lee, Singapore Evan Bloom, US Jihyun Lee and Joseph Appiott, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat Thembile Joyini, South Africa, consulting with Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria Delegates from the African Group consulting

The theme for the Rio Conventions Pavilion (RCP) on Wednesday, 7 December, was Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Tourism and Fisheries Management. Presentations and discussions focused on showcasing solutions from islands and from other States, as tourism destinations and “biodiversity hotspots.” In the afternoon participants focused on integrating sustainable fisheries management into wider sustainable development frameworks including tourism. The event was organized by the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA), the CBD Secretariat and the Government of Mexico. In the morning session participants considered ways to mainstream biodiversity into tourism development, tourism and biodiversity “Bright Spots,” with a discussion panel looking at progress and experiences from Mexico, Costa Rica and the British Virgin Islands. The use of IUCN’s Green List Standard for Protected Areas was also discussed. A subsequent panel considered different approaches to tourism and financing, including national conservation fund partnerships, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and other initiatives involving the private sector and NGOs. After lunch the focus turned to the interaction between tourism and fisheries. The first panel discussed national approaches to sustainable tourism and fisheries, with presentations on initiatives from the Seychelles, Mexico’s islands, Belize and Indonesia, focusing on community participation and community right-based approaches. A second panel looked at regional and global approaches, including perspectives on tourism and fisheries in the context of sub-regional biodiversity strategies, the experience in the Caribbean Community states, and gender perspectives. The day ended with an informal discussion session where participants shared ideas and experiences on the day’s topics. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary report from RCP at CBD COP 13. A summary of the Rio Conventions Pavilion events is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Session Kate Brown, Executive Director, Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) Oliver Hillel, CBD Secretariat Kedrick Pickering, Deputy Premier, British Virgin Islands Alberto Pacheco Capella, UN Environment (UNEP) Participants during the session Session 1: Tourism Discussion Panel 1: Tourism and Biodiversity Bright Spots Panelists during the session Trevor Sandwith, IUCN Teresa Solis, Ministry of Tourism, Mexico Eric Coppenger, African Wildlife Foundation Audience members pose questions to the panel Discussion Panel 2: Tourism and Financing Panelists during the session Geoffrey Bolan, CEO, Sustainable Travel International Mae Adams, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Matt Jeffery, National Audubon Society Yabanex Batista, Caribbean Biodiversity Fund Robbie Bovino, TNC Session 2: Tourism and Fisheries Discussion Panel 1: Tourism and Fisheries - National Approaches View of the panel during the session Alain de Comarmond, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Seychelles Spencer Thomas, Ambassador for Multilateral Environment Agreements, Grenada Leonel Requena, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Handoko Adi Susanto, Rare Federico Méndez Sánchez, Island Ecology and Conservation Group (GECI) Discussion Panel 2: Tourism and Fisheries - Regional and Global Approaches Panel speakers during the session Jamison Ervin, UNDP Afrina Choudhury, WorldFish Therese Yarde, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Around the Venue