Latin American and Caribbean Group

Working Group Co-Chairs Francis Ogwal and Basile van Havre gaveling the meeting to an end. The second meeting of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG) resumed for the final day on Saturday to address pending issues, including negotiations on the zero draft of the global biodiversity framework (GBF). Delegates heard a report back from the contact group on Tools and Solutions for Implementation and Mainstreaming, and agreed on elements presented in the group’s report compiled by the co-leads. The WG thereafter reviewed and approved the final recommendations of the meeting with minor amendments, and adopted the meeting’s report.During the closing session, Elizabeth Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), said while all roads led to Rome for the second meeting of the WG, the journey to generate a clear, actionable, and transformative GBF continues.  Providing regional statements: The African Group, noting the increased level of ambition based on new elements included into the GBF, called for additional funds for implementation; The EU said the GBF should be realistic and ambitious enough to communicate and engage everyone in the desired transformative change; The Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) said the desire to conserve biodiversity is clearly reflected in the GBF’s ambitions, but cautioned that financial resources have always been the “Achilles heal of the CBD”; New Zealand, on behalf of a group of non-EU developed countries, emphasized the need to involve indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), women, youth, subnational and local governments, and the private sector in order to provide a roadmap for transformative actions; and Central and Eastern Europe noted the importance of measurable indicators and called for sharing of outcomes of upcoming consultative meetings. As weary delegates arrived in plenary on the last day of the meeting of the WG, words of praise and thanks were abundant for the hard work and constructive participation of co-chairs, co-leads, the secretariat, delegates, and participants. The lengthy report from the contact group on Tools and Solutions for Implementation and Mainstreaming, showcased the extensive discussions held during the last meeting of the contact group, which lasted untill midnight on Friday. The late session induced some delegates to blame minor confusions with respect to the report of the contact group on a “lack of sleep” and excitement to “wrap up the meeting.” As the time for closing statements rolled around, delegates continued to praise the tone and collaborative spirit of the meeting, yet highlighted the extensive amount of work yet to be done. Elizabeth Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary, CBD highlighted that “time is not on our side,” especially in light of the great number of requests made in Rome. Yet, she expressed confidence that the WG will succeed and deliver a robust and ambitious GBF in Kunming to reverse biodiversity loss, end the cycle of destruction, and ensure that future generations will not have to face a planet irreversibly damaged by human activity.Co-Chairs Basile Van Havre and Francis Ogwal, gaveled the meeting to a close at 5:44 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage. Α summary and analysis report from the 2nd Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is available 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 Elizabeth Mrema, Acting Executive Secretary, CBD Secretariat Naoki Nakayama, Japan Andrea Cruz-Angón, Mexico Martha Mphatso Kalemba, Malawi Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, India Reinhard Schnidrig, Switzerland Jorge Murillo, Colombia Tia Stevens, Australia Jane Stratford, UK From L-R: Evelyn Vera Barreto, Mexico; Ines Verleye, Belgium; and Gabriele Obermayr, Austria Aleksandr Proskurin, Russian Federation Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, CBD Secretariat Charlotta Sörqvist, Sweden Delegates from the EU conferring during a break in negotiations Yangzhao Sun, China View of the dais during the plenary Working Group Co-Chair Francis Ogwal Working Group Co-Chair Basile van Havre Charlotta Sörqvist, Sweden, conferring with the Secretariat Leonardo Cleaver de Athayde, Brazil Joaquín Salzberg, Argentina The Costa Rican delegation (with Francisco the Sloth) Guilherme da Costa, Guinea-Bissau Alfred Oteng Yeboah, Ghana Christine Samwaroo, Guyana Rosemary Paterson, New Zealand Rapporteur Lyna Al-Awathi, Kuwait Neville Ash, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)  

Delegates huddle informally in plenary. On Thursday, the Council of the International Seabed Authority convened for the third day of the first part of its 26th session (ISA-26) in Kingston, Jamaica. Delegates discussed issues relating to the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), adopting a decision to work intersessionally on a resolution of the issue, for a final decision on the LTC elections to be taken at the second part of ISA-26. They also engaged in informal consultations on the working method to address the draft exploitation regulations, facilitated by Kenneth Wong (Canada), agreeing to consider a decision on this matter on Friday, 21 February.Delegates also considered a draft decision on a standardized approach for the development, approval, and review of regional environmental management plans (REMPs) in the Area, agreeing to finalize the decision on the last day of the meeting.Thursday was a procedure-heavy day, with delegates working in informal groups and discussing sticking points in huddles around the conference center. Highlights of the day included: the conclusion of informal discussions related to the working method to address the draft exploitation regulations; the circulation of a draft decision related to REMPs; agreement on the way forward on issues related to the election of members of the LTC; an informal plenary session on draft exploitation regulations related to the protection and preservation of the marine environment. At lunch, a side event was organized by the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative addressing the importance of biological diversity to deep seabed mining management.For more details on the day’s events and to learn what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-26. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has publish a summary and analysis report in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Kathy-Ann Brown, Jamaica, Acting Council President for ISA-26, consults with Urs Daniel Engels, Germany (left), and Tom Diederen, the Netherlands (right). Members of GRULAC and the African Group meet informally. Delegates from Italy, France, and Norway discuss draft decision documents on the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC). L-R: ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge, and Andrew Cong and Nicole Lyas, Australia L-R: Fredrik Hansen, Holy See; Tomasz Abramowski, Interoceanmetal Joint Organization; and Mateusz Damrat, Poland L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and Juan José González Mijares and Anais Vivanco, Mexico L-R: Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica, and Ingo Narberhaus and Hans-Peter Damian, Germany L-R: Tom Diederen, the Netherlands; Urs Daniel Engels, Germany; and Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat Deryck Murray, Trinidad and Tobago, and Diva Amon, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Vladislav Kurbatskiy, Russian Federation, and Nicole Schabus, ENB Delegates go through draft Council decision documents relating to the election of the LTC members. L-R: Juan José González Mijares, Mexico; Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica; and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge L-R: Andrew Cong, Australia; Rena Lee, Singapore; Nicole Lyas, Australia; and Kenneth Wong, Canada L-R: Corey McLachlan, DeepGreen; Philomène Verlaan, IMMS; and Erika Ilves, DeepGreen Council delegates during the afternoon session Solomon Korbieh, Ghana, speaking for the African Group Andrew Friedman, The Pew Charitable Trusts Hasan Abdullah Towhid, Bangladesh Coy Roache, Jamaica Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS) Kent Bressie and Graham Evans, International Cable Protection Committee Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge Duo Jiang and Jiang Jun, China, read the latest ENB. L-R: Jihyun Lee, ISA Secretariat, and Seongwook Park, SunHwa Kim, Young Gyu Lee, Seoyeon Cho, and Yeon Jee Suh, Republic of Korea L-R: Luke Tang, Rong Wang, and Rena Lee, Singapore; ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge; and Nathaniel Khng, Charine Yong, and Aaron Lee, Singapore Around the Venue Statue of Noel Nethersole, former Minister of Finance of Jamaica, with the ISA headquarters in the background.  

Luis del Solar, Argentina, outgoing Acting Council President, and Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session On Monday, the first part of the 26th session of the Council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opened in Kingston, Jamaica. After a halting start, Council members elected Taaniela Kula, Tonga, as President of ISA-26, before delving into discussions on key issues. The big discussion of the day centered around the composition and size of the Authority’s Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), an issue that has been controversial in the past. In plenary and in informal deliberations, views diverged on the role and importance of geographical representation vis-à-vis expertise, with many noting the need to balance the two. Others stressed that regional balance engenders trust and that the LTC should remain a body in which parties have confidence. Discussions on this issue will continue later in the week.Highlights of the day included: the election of the ISA-26 bureau, comprising Nigeria, for the African Group; the Russian Federation, for the Eastern European Group; Jamaica, for the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC); and Canada, for the Western Europe and Others Group; formal and informal discussions relating to two proposals on the composition and size of the ISA’s LTC; the election of Carsten Rühlemann (Germany) to fill a vacancy on the LTC; comments on the implementation of the Council decision on the reports of the LTC Chair; and a report on the recently concluded meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group addressing the financial model related to the sharing of benefits of the exploitation of the Area. At lunchtime, a side event was organized by Office of Environmental Management and Mineral Resources (OEMMR) of the ISA on the results of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Evora Workshops related to the review and development of Regional Environmental Management Plans in the Area.For more details on the day’s events and to learn what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 1st Part of ISA-26. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has publish a summary and analysis report in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge congratulates Luis del Solar, Argentina, for his work as Acting Council President for the 26th session Gavin Watson, UK Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session Janet Omoleegho Olisa, Nigeria Urs Daniel Engels, Germany Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica Hugo Verbist, Belgium The Council during Monday’s proceedings Vijay Kumar, India Kathy-Ann Brown, Jamaica Esther Salamanca Aguado and Josep María Bosch Bessa, Spain Emilio Lasford Douglas, Panama Jiang Jun, China Diva Amon, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Megan Jungwiwattanaporn, The Pew Charitable Trusts L-R: Taaniela Kula, Tonga, Council President for the 26th session; Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; and Charlotte Salpin and Marie Bourrel-McKinnon, ISA Secretariat Representatives from the Holy See and Italy confer. Around the Venue L-R: Gavin Watson and Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK, and Rena Lee, Singapore Jim Gray, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and Kate Neville, ENB Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS), and Kenneth Wong, Canada Francisco Javier Bernales Errázuriz, Chile, and Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil A view from the venue  

Highlights for Friday, 29 November 2019 SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz Delegates to the 23rd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 23) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), concluded their deliberations, approving draft recommendations to the Conference of the Parties (COP) on: the links between nature and culture; new and emerging issues; biodiversity and climate change; Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean; sustainable wildlife management; technical and scientific cooperation; and the scientific and technical base of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Lengthy deliberations took place under the agenda items on biodiversity and climate change, technical and scientific cooperation, and the post-2020 framework. The final recommendations on nature and culture, and climate change and biodiversity contain bracketed text. In closing remarks, Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge of the CBD Secretariat, thanked all participants for their collaboration, flexibility, and perseverance. She pointed out that the technical and scientific evidence base has been further strengthened to provide essential guidance for the development of the post-2020 framework. She expressed her confidence that in cooperation with partner conventions, institutions, and stakeholders, renewed biodiversity goals and targets can be agreed on in time. Suriname, for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), stressed the importance of healthy ecosystems for poverty eradication, food security, and essential ecosystem services, emphasizing they represent an important element of identity and culture. She called for necessary capacity building, scientific and technical assistance, and technology transfer to support SIDS. The EU noted the recent alarming scientific reports on biodiversity loss, stressing that SBSTTA 23 results will support the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to craft a robust and ambitious post-2020 framework. Lao People’s Democratic Republic, for Asia-Pacific, emphasized the importance of benefit-sharing from the utilization of genetic resources, and stressed the need to scale up action on pollution and marine debris. She further underscored the need for capacity building, technology transfer, and resource mobilization to implement the post-2020 framework.Noting that the science “shows that the threat is serious,” Iceland, also for Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and Switzerland, regretted that the document on biodiversity and climate change retains some brackets, but concluded that the recommendation under this item signifies “significant progress.” Belarus, for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), appreciated participants’ “active” presence in the process, and noted the importance in concluding the first cycle of EBSAs. Bahamas, for GRULAC, expressed their concern with the progress in the negotiations, and hoped for a more “planned and structured dialogue” on the “most relevant” parts of the framework in the future. Noting that biodiversity and its loss must be recognized as a global priority, she recalled the importance of synergizing work on biodiversity and climate change. Cameroon, for the African Group, emphasized the deliberations on technical and scientific cooperation in support of the post-2020 framework, and highlighted advice to the Co-Chairs of the OEWG on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework on direct and indirect drivers and on the need to give equal attention to all three objectives of the Convention.SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz (Mexico) thanked delegates and participants for a successful meeting. Convinced that “2020 is going to be a super year,” he gaveled the meeting to a close at 10:28 pm. 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 morning session SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz CBD Deputy Executive Secretary David Cooper Delegates from South Korea and Japan conferring Elizabeth Mrema, Officer-in-Charge, CBD Secretariat Marci Gompers-Small, Suriname Larbi Sbaï, Morocco Marcal Gusmao, Timor-Leste Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat, and SBSTTA 23 Chair Hesiquio Benítez Díaz Joaqin Salzberg, Argentina Vin Fleming, UK Erie Tamale, CBD Secretariat Andrea Cruz-Angón, Mexico Simon Nemtzov, Israel Martha Mphatso Kalemba, Malawi, with Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa Scott Wilson, Canada Senka Barudanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina Naeem Ashraf Raja, Pakistan Ricarda Steinbrecher, Federation of German Scientists Group photo of the Korean delegation From L-R: Bernard Soubry, Kaspar Sollberger, and Mika Schroder, IISD Reporting Services Jaime Grubb, Australia, with Rosemary Paterson, New Zealand Delegates from Brazil and South Africa conferring Reinhard Schnidrig, Switzerland Neville Ash, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Mitzi Gurgel Valente da Costa, Brazil The Indonesian delegation Hendrik Segers, Belgium Tommaso Demozzi and Eirini Sakellari, University of Wagenigen The Australian delegation with members of the CBD Secretariat and indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) Ilham Atho Mohamed, Maldives Joséphine Thérèse Eloundou, Cameroon, receiving the SBSTTA Poster Award from Ilham Atho Mohamed, Maldives Andrea Cruz-Angón, Mexico Around the Venue