European Union

On Wednesday, 29 March, delegates to the the third session of the Preparatory Committee on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (PrepCom 3) reconvened in the informal working group on area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs). The informal working group focused on: definitions; process, including submission of proposals, assessment, review and monitoring; and approaches and principles. In the afternoon, following a short plenary, the informal working group on environmental impact assessments (EIAs) started its work. 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 Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs, opened the session Jihyun Lee, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Merete Tandstad, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Haryo Budi Nugroho, Indonesia Lois Young, Belize Yves Suter, Switzerland Sameer Ghazi, Saudi Arabia Danica Stent, New Zealand Rena Lee, Singapore L-R: John Brincat and Sophie Mirgaux, EU L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs; and Valentina Germani, UNDOALOS Angel Horna, Peru Jeem Lippwe, Federated States of Micronesia Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Rolando Castro, Costa Rica Hina Saeed Baig, Pakistan Michael Googan, Australia Liz Karan, The Pew Charitable Trusts Stefan Ásmundsson, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission Peter Hamilton Flewwelling, North Pacific Fisheries Commission Darius Campbell, Commission of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the ‘OSPAR Convention') Duncan Currie, Greenpeace International Cristóbal Hernández Castillo, Chile L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on environmental impact assessments; and Yoshinobu Takei, UNDOALOS Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Rogelio Villanueva Jr., the Philippines Linlin Li, China Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria Julian Jackson, The Pew Charitable Trusts, in conversation with delegates from Ireland Michael Googan, Australia, in conversation with Natalie Morris-Sharma, Singapore

On Tuesday, 28 March, delegates to the the third session of the Preparatory Committee on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (PrepCom 3) reconvened in the informal working group on marine genetic resources in the morning. Deliberations focused on benefit-sharing modalities and on the possible establishment of a clearinghouse. Following a brief plenary, the informal working group on area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), convened in the afternoon, focusing on objectives and definitions. 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 Bird's eye view of PrepCom 3 plenary session Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Thembile Joyini, South Africa Margo Deiye, Nauru Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea Susan Whelan, Holy See Napoleon Beras, Dominican Republic Zhang Haiwen, China Nundini Pertaub, Mauritius L-R: Konrad Marciniak and John Brincat, EU Christoph Reusser, Switzerland Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga Jihyun Lee, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Salvatore Aricò, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Kristina Gjerde, IUCN Merete Tandstad, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Jessica Battle, WWF L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; and Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs; Valentina Germani, UNDOALOS; and Carlos Fuentes, UNDOALOS Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs Florian Botto, Monaco Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia Isaías Medina Mejías, Venezuela Babajide Alo, Nigeria L-R: Tidiani Couma, Monaco, in conversation with Angel Horna, Peru Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on ABMTs, including MPAs, with Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia Thembile Joyini, South Africa, consulting with Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador

IPBES-5 convened for its final day in Bonn, Germany. After a brief stocktaking plenary in the morning, the contact groups reconvened to resume their deliberations. Contact Group I concluded discussions on ILK based on agreement reached during informal consultations in the morning, and resolved outstanding issues in the draft decision on the review of the Platform. The group then discussed and approved draft decisions on enhanced participation of EU in IPBES Plenary sessions, and on replacing the term “benefits” with “nature’s contributions to people” in the IPBES conceptual framework. Contact Group II discussed and approved a decision on pending assessments. In plenary, the Co-Chairs of the contact groups reported on outcomes noting several draft decisions with sections on which agreement was pending the outcome of the budget discussions. Budget Group Chair Spencer Thomas reported that the Budget Group had yet to agree on the IPBES budget for 2017 and 2018. Chair Watson alerted delegates that closing the session without adopting a budget was unacceptable. Delegates then adopted decisions on: capacity building; policy tools and methodologies; the enhanced participation of the EU in IPBES Plenary sessions; the scoping report for and assessment on the sustainable use of wild species; and the dates, venues and agendas of IPBES-6 and IPBES-7. Delegates also approved the decision on the development of a second work programme subject to finalization of the budget, and approved all but one section of the decision on ILK on which informal consultations continue. At 6:55pm plenary was suspended and the Budget Group reconvened to finalize the decision on the budget. Plenary reconvened at 8:30. Budget Group Chair Thomas explained that the Budget Group was unable to agree on budget for 2017 and 2018. Delegates discussed several options, including a “minimum survival budget” to guarantee the continuation of IPBES’ operations, and a “high risk” budget that would risk a significant budget shortfall in case additional contributions in 2017 and 2018 are insufficient. Delegates eventually agreed to adopt a medium-sized budget allowing for IPBES operations to continue but not for the initiation of the pending assessments. Delegates agreed to authorize the rapporteur to finalize the meeting’s report based on comments provided by member countries within two weeks. Chair Watson gaveled the meeting to a close at 10:55pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Stakeholder Day and the 5th Session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-5). The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Plenary Session View of the dais during the plenary Spencer Thomas, Grenada Diego Pacheco Balanza, Bolivia Anne Teller, Stefan Leiner and Marco Fritz, European Commission Christine Dawson, US Kevin Cash, Canada Contact Group on Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems The dais during the contact group on Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems Contact Group Co-Chair Diego Pacheco Balanza Mohamed Ali Ben Temessek, Tunisia Mustafa Uzun, Turkey Magdalena Dolores Susana Von Beckh Widmanstetter and Santiago D'Alessio, Argentina Rastislav Rybanic, Slovakia Friends of the Chair Group on the Status of EU Membership View of the dais at Friends of the Chair Group on the Status of EU Membership Kate Louw, IISD/ENB Prudence Tangham Galega, Cameroon Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ghana Contact Group on the Review of the Platform View of the dais during the Contact Group on the Review of the Platform Sofía Treviño Heres, Mexico Delegates from China Sebastián Restrepo and Ana María Hernández Salgar, Colombia José Romero, Switzerland Paul Leadley, MEP, and François Lengrand, France Contact Group on Knowledge and Data Paul Leadley, MEP View of the dais Jose Rafael, Dominican Republic Ndayikeza Willy, Burundi Agnès Hallosserie, France Anne Teller, European Commission, and Hilde Eggermont, Belgium Isabel Sousa Pinto, Portugal François Lengrand, France Ryo Kohsaka and Hideto Watanabe, Japan Contact Group on Nature’s Contributions to People View of the dais Jean-François Silvain, France Kiruben Naicker and Carmel Mbizvo, South Africa Contact Group on the Sustainable Use of Wild Biodiversity, Capacity Building, and Policy Support Tools and Methodologies Contact Group Co-Chair Ivar Baste Janne Kotiaho, Finland El Khitma El Awad Mohammed, Sudan; and Luthando Dziba, South Africa Around the Venue