IPLC

Highlights for Monday, 25 November 2019 Delegates to the 23rd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 23) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met throughout the day to hear opening statements, address organizational matters, and exchange views on informing the scientific and technical evidence base for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. In the opening plenary, SBSTTA Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz (Mexico) reminded delegates and observers that “biodiversity is not only an environmental problem, but also a question of social, economic, and moral development”. Highlighting the “crucial stage” of the process in building the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, he urged participants to work together; focus on building recommendations; and “set aside political decisions” for the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP). Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Secretariat, stressed that recent assessments from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation are interlinked; and that significant declines in biodiversity are occurring at all levels. She noted that conservation action has been successful in reducing biodiversity loss, and that humans have the evidence, knowledge, and ability to address the challenges before them “on a scale unimaginable a few years ago”. During a series of thematic presentations to inform the scientific and technical evidence base for the post-2020 framework, Eduardo Brondizio, Co-Chair of the IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, described the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline and explained that regional improvements do not prevent aggregated global biodiversity from deteriorating. Andreas Schei, Norwegian Environment Agency, emphasized the need to better understand direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, including their interlinkages, He underscored the need to consider biodiversity as part of the solution rather than solely focusing on biodiversity loss, stressing that “action is urgent, and it has been insufficient.” Tim Hirsch, Science writer for the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5), discussed the development of the fifth edition of GBO-5. He stressed that while evaluating the extent to which the Aichi Targets have been achieved provides a bleak picture, not all messages are negative: impressive examples of success also exist, including eradication programmes for invasive alien species. Joji Cariño, Forest Peoples Programme, presented on the second edition of the Local Biodiversity Outlook, noting that: indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) remain marginal in decision making; that IPLCs’ customary land tenure should be fully recognized to help deliver conservation outcomes; and financial resources must be deployed to support IPLC collective actions. Maïté Delmas, Global Partnership for Plant Conservation, showcased progress towards the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) 2020 at the global and national levels. Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa, reported on a workshop which took place on 23 November, affirming that the draft GBO-5 is “a good example” of the need to draw on the best available evidence and science to build the post-2020 framework.In the evening, delegates attended a reception hosted by the Government of Canada.On Saturday and Sunday, two well-attended informal briefings focused on informing the evidence base for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and on providing an overview on the framework’s development.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from WG8J 11 and SBSTTA 23. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meetings in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page View of the dais during the opening session SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Secretariat Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat, and SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz Marina von Weissenberg, Finland, chairing the afternoon session Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment Co-Chair Eduardo Brondízio Angel Onofa, Ecuador Andreas Schei, Norwegian Environment Agency Tim Hirsch, Science writer for the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5) Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa Maïté Delmas, Global Partnership for Plant Conservation Joji Cariño, Forest Peoples Program Stig Johansson and Marina von Weissenberg, Finland Marie-May Muzungaile, Seychelles Raed Bani-Hani, Jordan John Scott, CBD Secretariat, and Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland Mika Schroder, University of Strathclyde, and Marcel Kok, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat, with CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper Stig Johansson, Finland Informal Briefing by the Co-Chairs on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Article 8(j) Working Group Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt Sarat Babu Gidda, CBD Secretariat Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) 3 Chair Charlotta Sörqvist Francis Ogwal, Co-Chair, Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework SBSTTA23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper Joseph Appiott, CBD Secretariat Side Event: Exploring Evidence for 2020 and Beyond - The Global Assessment Report (IPBES), the Global Biodiversity Outlook (CBD) and the future IPBES work programme IPBES Chair Ana María Hernandez Salga Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary, IPBES IPBES Global Assessment Co-Chair Eduardo Brondízio CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper Robert Spaull, Head of Communications, IPBES Reception Hosted by the Government of Canada Niall O'Dea, Environment and Climate Change Canada Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, City of Montreal David Ainsworth, CBD Secretariat Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Secretariat

Highlights for Friday, 22 November 2019 The 11th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded its deliberations, approving final recommendations to the Conference of the Parties (COP) on: the development of a new programme of work and institutional arrangements on Article 8(j) related to indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs); options for possible elements of work aimed at an integration of nature and culture in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; recommendations from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII); and the in-depth dialogue on the thematic areas. Regarding the development of a new programme of work and institutional arrangements, consensus could not be reached and the final recommendation contains bracketed text. A number of options were tabled regarding institutional arrangements, including establishing a permanent subsidiary body on Article 8(j), retaining the Working Group in its current form, or integrating it in the Convention’s subsidiary bodies. Following lengthy discussions, all suggestions remained on the table and the issue will be further discussed in COP 15 in Kunming, China, including the potential establishment of an ad hoc technical expert group (AHTEG) on IPLCs and the post-2020 framework.  In closing statements, Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-In-Charge, CBD Secretariat, reminded delegates that the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, on whose land the meeting took place, holds the philosophy that deliberations must consider the impacts of their decisions “on the next seven generations.” She highlighted that, during the meeting, contributions of the traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices of IPLCs in addressing biodiversity loss were recognized as fundamental, as well as that the traditional knowledge and languages are essential to social and ecological resilience. Regional groups stressed that “this is a crucial moment for biodiversity,” emphasizing the need to take stock of progress on the Aichi Targets and develop an ambitious post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Observers, including indigenous organizations, emphasized that the full and effective participation of IPLCs is crucial for a strong post-2020 framework; underscored that the post-2020 framework needs to be inclusive; expressed concern about potentially moving away from environmental and human rights standards as recognized by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); and lamented the number of brackets still remaining in some of the approved recommendations. Co-Chairs Lakpa Nuri Sherpa (Nepal) and Hamdallah Zedan (Egypt) underscored that collaboration is key in fighting biodiversity loss and climate change. They emphasized the fruitful relationship with IPLCs, who are “the guardians of most of the remaining biodiversity,” and stressed that the post-2020 global biodiversity framework provides an opportunity to further this relationship. Zedan gaveled the meeting to a close at 4:58 pm.For more 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 Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from SBSTTA 23 and WG8J 11. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Working Group Co-Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt Working Group Co-Chair Lakpa Nuri Sherpa, Nepal CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper, with Working Group Co-Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt Moustafa Fouda, Egypt Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Secretariat Elise Murphy, Australia Luciana Melchert, Brazil Lyna Al-Awathi, Kuwait Andrea Cruz-Angón, Mexico Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland Somaly Chan, Cambodia Charlotta Von Troil, EU, and Linda Lund, Norway Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland, and Tim Badman, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Linda Lund, Norway Scott Wilson, Canada Edward Netshithothole, South Africa Delegates conferring during a break in negotiations Lennart Kümper-Schlake, Germany Lio Ando-Bourguet, CBD Secretariat Linn Appelgren, Sweden Ricarda Steinbrecher, Federation of German Scientists From L-R: El Khitma El Awad Mohammed, Sudan; Genene Tefera Belihu, Ethiopia; and Melesse Maryo Salamo, Ethiopia Around the Venue

Highlights for Thursday, 21 November 2019 Delegates conferring during a break in negotiations The 11th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) continued its deliberations in plenary in the morning to discuss: the contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; links between nature and culture in the post-2020 framework; recommendations from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII); and a conference room paper on the in-depth dialogue. Delegates further heard a report from Francis Ogwal (Uganda) and Basile van Havre (Canada), Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Framework. The Co-Chairs emphasized three phases in the process of developing the post-2020 framework: a broad consultation across the UN regions, completed with the first Working Group meeting in August 2019; a deeper dive into thematic areas, including ecosystem restoration, marine and coastal biodiversity, capacity building, resource mobilization, and access and benefit-sharing; and text-based negotiations starting with the zero draft, to be published on 13 January 2020, until the draft’s approval, scheduled for the third Working Group meeting in July 2020. Highlights of the day include: wide recognition that the connection between culture and nature provides an untapped potential for achieving the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature; deliberations on balancing the three objectives of the Convention in the development of the post-2020 framework with respect to biocultural diversity; calls to promote and respect the full provisions of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); and a discussion on indigenous rights vis-à-vis the rights of local communities. A contact group met in the afternoon, focusing on the development of a fully integrated programme of work on Article 8(j) within the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The contact group, co-chaired by Rosemary Paterson (New Zealand) and Lucy Mulenkei (International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, IIFB), was mandated to work through the draft recommendations to COP 15, and to consider what advice the Working Group on Article 8(j) might want to provide to the Working Group on the Post-2020 Framework on issues relating to Article 8(j).For more 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 Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from SBSTTA 23 and WG8J 11. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Working Group Co-Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt William Dunbar, UN University Joséphine Thérèse Eloundou, Cameroon Rina Miyake, Japan Florina López Miró, International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) Joaqin Salzberg, Argentina Working Group Co-Chair Lakpa Nuri Sherpa, Nepal Naeem Ashraf Raja, Pakistan Donatian Gustave, Saint Lucia Luciana Melchert, Brazil Raed Bani-Hani, Jordan Linda Lund, Norway Tim Badman, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Nele Marien, Friends of the Earth International Lennart Kümper-Schlake, Germany Gillian Dunuan, Philippines Francis Ogwal, Co-Chair, Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Basile van Havre, Co-Chair, Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Contact Group on IPLCs and the Post-2020 Framework Contact Group Co-Chairs Lucy Mulenkei, IIFB and Rosemary Paterson, New Zealand Saami delegates during Contact Group negotiations Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland Around the Venue

Highlights for Wednesday, 20 November 2019 From L-R: CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper; Working Group Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt; and John Scott, CBD Secretariat Delegates to the 11th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met throughout the day to hear opening and regional statements, address organizational matters, conduct the in-depth dialogue on the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, assess progress towards Aichi Target 18, and discuss the links between nature and culture in the post-2020 framework. In the opening plenary, Mohawk elder Charlie Patton, Kahnawake, welcomed participants onto Mohawk territory and noted the need to “work of one mind to help heal our Mother Earth.” Elizabeth Mrema, CBD Secretariat Officer-in-Charge, emphasized that no wisdom can be left out, and that traditional knowledge transferred between generations is key to understanding nature. Inger Andersen, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, underscored that IPLCs have been deploying the solutions that “we need to rediscover to secure a sustainable future,” and stressed that environmental defenders, who work to protect nature, often pay for their efforts with their lives. Working Group Co-Chair Hamdallah Zedan (Egypt), for the COP Presidency, emphasized the need to be ambitious, inclusive, and optimistic. Regional groups, indigenous peoples’ organizations, and civil society organizations emphasized the importance of full and effective participation of IPLCs in the work of the Convention and the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Seven IPLC representatives were designated as “Friends of the Bureau,” representing the geo-cultural regions recognized by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), and Lakpa Nuri Sherpa (Asia) was designated as Working Group Co-Chair. Plenary then addressed an in-depth dialogue on the contribution of cultural diversity and the traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices of IPLCs to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Panelists highlighted the importance of: IPLCs’ inclusion in policy and decision-making; an international alliance for nature and culture; and nature-culture indicators. Delegates and participants were introduced to the concept of "ili", the place where one is born, including its natural, cultural, and spiritual identity. In the afternoon, the Working Group unpacked almost all of the items on its agenda. Delegates and participants reviewed progress towards Aichi Target 18 (traditional knowledge); deliberated on the role of IPLCs in the development and implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework; and exchanged ideas for possible elements of work aiming at reintegration of nature and culture in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Regarding possible institutional arrangements, some parties recommended that a permanent subsidiary body on aspects relating to IPLCs be created, while others suggested delaying relevant decisions until the content of the new programme of work is finalized.For more 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 Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) meeting coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from SBSTTA 23 and WG8J 11. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Working Group Chair Hamdallah Zedan, Egypt Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) John Scott, CBD Secretariat, with CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper Vinod Mathur, Rapporteur Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Tiina Sanila-Aikio, Finland Lucy Mulenkei, Indigenous Information Network Charlie Patton, Mohawk Elder Phepsile Maseko, Traditional Healers Organisation, South Africa John Scott, CBD Secretariat Joaqin Salzberg, Argentina Moustafa Fouda, Egypt Josefa Cariño Tauli, Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) Marina von Weissenberg, Finland Alejandra Loría Martínez, Costa Rica Tim Badman, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Belal Alhayek, Syrian Arab Republic Charlotta Von Troil, EU Aslak Holmberg, Saami Council June Batang-ay and Dibara Sharipova, Tebtebba Foundation Raed Bani-Hani, Jordan Gillian Dunuan, Philippines Gunn-Britt Retter, Saami Council Around the Venue