The Pacific gear up for International Biodiversity Conference

10 August 2012, Rotorua, New Zealand - In 2010 a united voice from 14 Pacific Island Countries was heard at the world’s biggest biodiversity conference hosted by Japan. 

Held every two years, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention brings together over 190 countries, partners, NGO’s, media and others to address the commitments made under this Convention.

At the opening of the Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting in Rotorua, New Zealand today, the challenge was laid for an even stronger voice from our region as the Pacific prepares for the next CBD COP 11 in India this year.

“Let us work together to make Pacific engagement and impact at COP11 even more successful than it was at COP10.  Together, as countries and supporting partners, we have the next few days to shape the basis for that engagement,” presented Mr. Stuart Chape, the Director of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management Division of SPREP.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme has coordinated the meeting which will identify and discuss the key priority issues and propose Pacific regional positions for COP11.

The preparations for this will draw upon lessons learnt from the CBD COP10 meeting in Japan.  It was there that the international community took stock of progress to meet the 2010 Targets to contain the loss of the world’s biodiversity.  This led to the “Aichi Targets” which are a set of ambitious global goals to save the worlds’ biodiversity by 2020.

The role of the Pacific island parties at the CBD COP11 is crucial, it ensures a voice at the international level will help trickle down to effective work conducted at the national level to save Pacific biodiversity.

“You as parties are the ones that take the decisions that guide the Convention of Biological Diversity on what needs to be done,” said Mr. David Duthie of the CBD Secretariat.

“We hope that this preparatory meeting will reaffirm and once again adopt a Pacific Voyage and One Pacific approach for COP 11 and replicate the success of our engagement at COP10.”

The Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for CBD COP 11 is held in Rotorua New Zealand from 10 – 13 August.  Participating countries are from Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.  Also attending are NGO’s and other partners.

The meeting is funded by the European Union African Caribbean Pacific Multi-lateral Environment Agreement Capacity Building Project in partnership with the CBD Secretariat.