Pacific prepares plan of action at international biodiversity conference

7 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - Pacific delegates attending the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity met in Hyderabad, India to prepare for the coming two weeks of negotiations.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development and was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.  It has three key objectives - conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The Pacific meeting was to strategise the plan of action to address the agenda items of common interest, with a united approach, some of which include the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity, Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, and Financial Mechanisms.

L - R Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu Kiribati, Ratita Bebe Kiribati, Sarah Tawaka Fiji

"It is crucial for Pacific Islands to really work together, considering the crucial items of pertinence to our islands and people within our region, which will be discussed in this global CBD level,” said Ms. Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu, the Acting Director of Environment and Conservation Division, Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agriculture.

“Teamwork, coordination, communication but above all, commitment; is key to effective participation of Pacific Island Country delegates, this will ensure that the global process will have positive impacts at our regional and national levels in the terms of meeting the three objectives of the CBD”

The Pacific delegates will also be working with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the CBD COP 11, with preparation and input into a statement at the opening meeting to be read by Kiribati on behalf of the SIDS.

This meeting is the first of many to come.  The Pacific delegates will be meeting in the mornings on a regular basis during the conference, and also hope to meet with other Small Islands Developing States to prepare each day before joining the Asia Pacific morning briefings.

L - R Asterio Appi Nauru, Warwick Harris Marshall Islands, Stuart Chape SPREP, Easter Galuvao SPREP

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is providing technical, coordination and communications support at the CBD COP 11 to Pacific delegates.

Attending the first Pacific preparatory meeting were delegates from Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Nauru, other Pacific delegates are still en route to India.

Fiji calls for more support at Biosafety meeting

6 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabd, India - The Pacific region has engaged in the course of international meetings to help save World biodiversity with the curtain raiser event in Hyderabad, India; the sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity  which serves as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity.

The first days of discussion focused on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which was adopted in January 2000 and entered into force in 2003, to address the safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms that may have adverse effects on biodiversity taking into account human health, with a special focus on transboundary movements.

For Fiji, the key concerns raised at this meeting are; building the capacity of the Pacific to strengthen their work in bio-security and; additional financing opportunities outside of the Global Environment Facility.

Mrs. Taina Tagicakibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment at the MoP6.  Photo courtesy of ENB.

“For us it is about knowing more and learning about the latest happenings in the area of biotechnology as it can have its benefits, especially in the agricultural output,’ said Mrs. Taina Tagicakibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment.

“We need to manage how we proceed with this phase as there will need to be careful monitoring so any living modified organisms that enter Fiji does not pose a threat to the health of our Fiji community, or to our environment.  For this we need to build our capacity, it is a new subject for us.”

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety includes an advance informed agreement procedure for the imports of living modified organisms for intentional introduction into the environment.  It also incorporates the precautionary approach and mechanisms for risk assessment and risk management.

The Protocal established the Biosafety Clearing House to help facilitate the exchange of information and contains provisions on capacity building and financial resources, with special attention to developing countries and those without national regulatory systems.

The MoP-6 adopted 18 key decisions unanimously and called for giving utmost importance to the concerns and wishes of the indigenous and local people before a country decides on new genetically modified crops.

According to the Asian Age, all parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety accepted the need to conduct research on the socioeconomic impact of living modified organisms to fill the knowledge gaps and identify specific socioeconomic issues, including those with positive impacts.

“We hope the funds will come forward to help with building national capacity and would like the Global Environment Facility to consider allocating specific funds for Bio-security and Bio-safety alone, as they do for the Climate Change issue,” said Mrs. Tagicakibau.

“If managed properly and with responsible progress, this could have a positive impact on food production and poverty.  We should not fear this, if properly tested and if it undergoes proper regimes, this could help avoid world starvation and poverty, but it needs to be conducted properly, and for that we need funds, resources and support to build our capacity, both nationally and for that of our regional organisations which help support our work.”

Budgetary provisions to support member countries to implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety were a key issue.  It was estimated that a core budget of $5,102 million is needed, apart from voluntary contributions and trust funds.

The conference agreed to appoint an ad hoc technical group that will go into the issues related to socioeconomic considerations of different countries and regions. The group consists of eight members from each of the five regions within the Meeting of the Parties.

There are 164 parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, for which nine are Pacific Island Countries – Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga are Pacific parties to the Protocol.  

India and Thailand have been endorsed as the members on the Compliance to Biosafety Committee by the Asia Pacific region, on the understanding that they will serve a one term of two years, whereby they will step down at the next Meeting of the Parties in two years time; and Fiji and Korea will then be considered for this committee.

The Sixth Meeting of the Parties was held from 1 to 5 October.

Meeting the Pacific delegates at CBD COP 11

5 October, 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - Mr. Siosiua Latu, delegate from Tonga with Mrs. Taina Tagicikibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment.  Mr. Latu of Tonga is attending his very first international biodiversity conference, having attended the 6^th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety.

“I think for myself it’s a good experience, it is the first time for me to attend a high level meeting like the MoP 6 it is a good experience to listen and to learn from the other delegates.”

Pacific Voyage to Hyderabad, India, CBD COP 11

Exhibition booths at the CBD COP 11, the Pacific Voyage will join these in showcasing work.

 

6 October, 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India -The Pacific Voyage is the name of the campaign in Hyderabad India to raise the profile of the Pacific region at the 11^th Conference of the Parties.  A number of initiatives will take place under this campaign that will highlight the biodiversity successes in the region, to the international community.

A special event on the evening of October 18, titled The Pacific Voyage: Nature Protects if She is Protected, will be held.  This event will highlight and showcase the nature conservation work in the region as well as to launch the 9^th Pacific Island Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas to be held in Fiji, 2013.   Guest speakers for the event include the Minister for Local Government, Housing, Urban Development and Environment of Fiji – Col. Samuela Saumatua and Mr. David Sheppard the Director General of SPREP, amongst others.

The Pacific will have a special booth at the CEPA Fair (Communication, Education and Public Awareness) for which Pacific delegates have been asked to come with display materials and resources to exhibit and give way.

“We also have other activities under way as part of the Pacific Voyage,” said Nanette Woonton, SPREP’s Media and Public Relations Officer.

“During the preparatory meeting we prepared a communications plan with all the Pacific countries and realized that we ourselves are the best to share messages of our work in the region.  We have prepared tools to help our Pacific countries meet and network with other partners at this event to share the nature conservation work in the region.”

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have prepared pocket Compasses for the Pacific delegates with tips to help them through negotiations, a generic unified Pacific business card has been designed to share with others that detail the Pacific biodiversity blogsite, side event as well as special postcards about the 9^th Pacific Island Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas.  The unified business card and postcards will be shared amongst the Pacific delegates.

Save the Date!  Island Innovations!

 “The Pacific islands will also be represented during a special Island Bright Spots event coordinated by the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), this will be an opportunity for all islands to come together and exchange their island innovations and successes with a roundtable discussion during the day and an Island Life Celebration in the evening.”

During this event SPREP will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

For more information on the Pacific voyage or the Island Innovations Event please email Ms. Nanette Woonton nanettew@sprep.org

CBD COP 11: Nature Protects if She is Protected

One of the venues at the CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India

 

6 October, 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - The 11^th Conference to the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity begins in Hyderabad, India next week.  The event is an important one for the Pacific region in efforts to conserve nature and halt biodiversity loss.

Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development. 

The Convention recognises that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. (www.cbd.int)

Nature Protects if She is Protected - is the theme of the COP 11.  The Conference of the Parties is held every two years, bringing together all parties to the Convention as well as stakeholders and interested partners, to take stock on work done and to guide future work under the Convention.

“The In-depth Review of the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity is one of the main agenda items that the Pacific will closely follow given the focus on island biodiversity,” said Ms. Easter Galuvao, the Biodiversity Adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP),

“Continued emphasis on island biodiversity with adequate resources to support the implementation of the Programme of Work and the Aichi Targets would be one of the desired outcomes to be achieved at COP11.”

The Conference will be held from 8 to 19 October in Hyderabad, India.

Caribbean and Pacific partnership strengthens over biodiversity meeting

L - R Jill Key SPREP, Therese Yarde CARICOM

11 August 2012, Rotorua, New Zealand - Empowering Pacific islanders to meet their commitments under the different international environment agreements has been the focus of a special four year project coordinated by SPREP.

It has helped Pacific island delegates undergo negotiations training so they are confident to sit at the table with other contracting parties when discussing agreement text.  It has also helped to mainstream the environment into the national planning process of the Pacific islands.

This week the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has coordinated a preparatory meeting to help countries organize their approach to the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. 

This is an activity in partnership with the Project on Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African Caribbean and Pacific Countries, better known as the ACP-MEA’s project.

“I am happy to see that the ACP-MEAs project has been able to provide a continuum of support specifically on the negotiation and consultation for Pacific country delegates to better understand and prepare for the CBD COP as a region,” presented  Ms. Haruko Okusu of the United Nations Environment Programme.

“The upcoming CBD COP11 will be a significant one.  It takes the first step in looking at how the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 – 2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets are being transformed into national instruments, and effectively mainstreamed into national planning processes which links to the second area of support provided by the project.”

At this particular meeting the links between the Caribbean and Pacific hubs of the project are strengthening with two representatives from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Guyana attending.

“These two island regions share many issues and challenges and we have a lot to learn from each other, both as partners for international negotiation and in designing activities to build capacity at the national level,” said Jill Key, the ACP-MEA Pacific Hub Project Coordinator at SPREP.

“We welcome the participation of our Caribbean colleagues and look forward to exchanging experiences and lessons learned in Phase II of the project.”

Ms Therese N. Yarde Project Coordinator, Caribbean Hub Capacity Building ACP-MEAs, CARICOM has found this a valuable experience, having learnt from the Pacific planning process as the world leads up to the CBD COP 11, with thoughts as to how this project can work closer together in the future.

“We both address common issues differently, issues such as mainstreaming, target setting and indicators.  Having spent time here I have learnt how these different approaches can work together and complement each other.

Ms. Anya Thomas, CARICOM

Her colleague from CARICOM, Ms. Anya Thomas the Senior Project Officer, Sustainable Development is also learning how the Pacific form regional positions and agree upon priority areas to be addressed collectively at the CBD COP 11.

“There is a lot I can take back there in that regard, it has also been a learning experience for me in terms of getting a feel for what the issues are in terms of the biodiversity, what are the priorities, challenges and how they intend to address them.”

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 through the African Caribbean Pacific Multi-lateral Environment Agreement Capacity Building Project in partnership with the CBD Secretariat.

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.