ENVI COMMITTEE DELEGATION TO THE ELEVENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY HYDERABAD, INDIA, OCTOBER 2012

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1 COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY SECRETARIAT Brussels, 19 February 2013 ENVI COMMITTEE DELEGATION TO THE ELEVENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY HYDERABAD, INDIA, OCTOBER 2012 CONTENTS I. COMPOSITION OF THE DELEGATION II. GENERAL BACKGROUND III. DELEGATION'S ACTIVITIES IV. KEY FINDINGS V. PROGRAMME I. COMPOSITION OF THE DELEGATION The following Members of the European Parliament participated in the delegation to the High Level Segment of the 11th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 11), held in Hyderabad (India), from 16 to 18 October 2012: Edite ESTRELA (S&D) Chairwoman of the delegation Cristina GUTIÉRREZ-CORTINES (EPP) Sandrine BÉLIER (Greens/EFA) The following Members participated in the delegation as associate members: Kriton ARSENIS (S&D) Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE) Anna ROSBACH (ECR) Emiliano Imeroni from the ENVI Committee Secretariat accompanied the delegation. II. GENERAL BACKGROUND CBD COP 11, the first COP to take place in the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, was seen as the first milestone for assessing the progress in the implementation of the Nagoya package adopted at COP 10 in Nagoya, comprising

2 the ABS Nagoya protocol (Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization), the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity , and the corresponding Strategy for Resource Mobilization. In addition to the Nagoya package, other core topics discussed at the Conference included marine biodiversity and synthetic biology. III. DELEGATION'S ACTIVITIES A series of bilateral meetings were organised to exchange views with the relevant actors at the Conference and follow the development of negotiations on all topic, while expressing Parliament's positions on the issue of biological diversity. Tuesday 16 October The activities of the delegation started with a meeting with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB): the exchange of views focussed on the central role of indigenous and local communities in the preservation of nature, biodiversity, species conservation, on the role of and the rights to traditional knowledge, as well as on the issue of land grabbing. The second meeting, with representatives of the NGOs Birdlife International, WWF and Conservation International, was instrumental to better identify the main issues at stake in the conference and to get a picture of the state of negotiations. The NGOs also explained their views on the EU positions at COP 11. The meeting with Dr Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson Global Environment Facility (GEF), focussed on the GEF investments in biodiversity and in particular on the 6th replenishment of the Facility, linked to resource mobilisation for biodiversity. The EP delegation then attended the opening ceremony of the High Level Segment by the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh. A cocktail and dinner reception with Member States' Environment Ministers, hosted by Commissioner Janez Potočnik, was the occasion for the delegation to discuss the main issues of the conference with the EU negotiators. Wednesday 17 October At the bilateral meeting with Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the main topics of discussion were resource mobilisation for the Strategic Plan, fisheries and conservation of marine species, public awareness of biodiversity, and the role played by the CBD Secretariat in the ongoing negotiations at the Conference. The delegation programme continued with a series of thematic meetings: James Griffiths, Managing Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, expressed his views on policy options to better leverage businesses towards the adoption of an ecological and social agenda. 2

3 Despina Symons, Director of EBCD and Coordinator of the Fisheries Experts Group of the IUCN Commission of Ecosystem Management, briefed the delegation on marine biodiversity, in particular on the ongoing negotiations on protected areas and on sustainable fisheries. Pavan Sukhdev, Chair of the High-Level Panel on global assessment of resources for implementing the Strategic Plan and Study Leader of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), exchanged views with the EP delegation on the available financing for biodiversity, on ways to leverage funding from businesses, on taxation of resources, on the social dimension and on innovative ways to foster public awareness. John Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), explained his expectations for the upcoming CITES COP 16 to be held in Bangkok, in particular as regards marine species and timber species and the fight against poaching and illegal trade. Finally, the delegation met with Julia Lefevre, Director General of IUCN, to discuss about the links between the different Rio Conventions and the role of IUCN, and about the involvement of all stakeholders in decision-making on the environment. In the evening, Commissioner Janez Potočnik gave the delegation an extensive briefing on the status of negotiations and on the main EU positions on the different issues debated at the COP. Thursday 18 October The first meeting in the morning was with João Cravinho, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union in New Delhi: various issues regarding EU- India bilateral relations were discussed, including the role of the External Action Service, trade relations, piracy in the Indian Ocean, and the inclusion of civil aviation in the EU Emission Trading System. The delegation met with Ibrahim Thiaw, Director of the UNEP Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI), acting as interim Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), who explained the intention of building an equivalent for biodiversity to what IPCC is for climate, and focussed on the importance of ecosystem services, capacity building and the use of scientific findings in policy making. During a short meeting with Silvia Ribeiro from the ETC Group, the delegation gathered information on synthetic biology and related controversies. Finally, the EP delegation met with Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): the exchange of views focussed on the central role of the EU in UNEP and the efforts to implement the COP decisions and the CBD targets, on the TEEB partnership, and on the ongoing negotiations at COP. 3

4 Side events Besides the bilateral meetings, the delegation also attended a side event on the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI), a global platform to build partnerships and enhance capacity to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets related to marine and coastal biodiversity, where the Chairwoman of the delegation made a supporting statement. Member of the delegation Kriton Arsenis also hosted a successful side event on Roadlessness: the most cost efficient and effective way to protect biodiversity, organised with IUCN, UNEP, Conservation International, Tebtebba (the Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education) and the Society for Conservation Biology. IV. KEY FINDINGS At the meetings with the relevant actors at COP 11, Parliament's delegation stressed the call for urgent action to implement the strategic plan for biodiversity: the EU is committed to continue being the first world donor for biodiversity, and all developed and developing parties should share the responsibility to reach the common biodiversity targets by The delegation brought the message that progress can only be achieved on the ground, if all levels of society, including local authorities and communities, are involved and if every citizen forms a concrete idea of biological diversity as the value of nature. Indigenous and local communities should be involved in the decision-making process, as their knowledge is essential to preserve biodiversity, and effective advertising campaigns are needed to bring the abstract concept of biodiversity concretely to every citizen, farmer, forester, who already have an intuitive knowledge of the value of nature. The delegation also expressed the fear of losing the momentum of the Nagoya agreements if a positive outcome of the COP had not been reached, in particular on the mobilisation of resources needed to implement the strategic plan for biodiversity and reach the Aichi targets by 2020 (only 8 years away). 4

5 V. PROGRAMME Monday 15 October 2012 Arrival Tuesday 16 October :30 Meeting point in the hotel to take the 08:45 shuttle to go together to the Conference Centre Accreditation and registration at the conference Aditya Sarovar Hotel Lobby 10:00-11:00 International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) HICC, 2nd floor, Room :10-12:10 Birdlife International, WWF, Conservation International EU Pavilion, Room 3 12:15-13:45 Lunch break Possibility to attend side-events SUGGESTION - Side event Roadlessness: the most cost efficient and effective way to protect biodiversity. Organised by MEP Kriton Arsenis along with IUCN, UNEP, Conservation International, Tebtebba (the Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education) and the Society for Conservation Biology. HICC, 2nd Floor, Room :45-14:30 Dr Naoko Ishii CEO and Chairperson Global Environment Facility (GEF) EU Pavillion (tbc) 15:30-16:30 Opening of the High Level Segment HICC Ground level HALL I 18:00 Cocktail and Dinner reception with Member States' Environment Ministers, hosted by Commissioner Janez Potočnik Aditya Sarovar Hotel 5

6 Wednesday 17 October :30-09:15 Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias Executive Secretary for the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) HICC 2nd floor Mr Dias' office 10:00-11:00 James Griffiths Managing Director World Business Council for Sustainable Development, WBSCD 11:00-12:00 Despina Symons Director EBCD - Coordinator Fisheries Experts Group of the IUCN Commission of Ecosystem Management Focus on Marine and coastal biodiversity 12:30-13:15 Lunch break 13:15-14:45 Possibility to attend side-events (13:15-14:45) SUGGESTION 1 - High Level SIDE EVENT Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI). A global platform to build partnerships and enhance capacity to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets related to marine and coastal biodiversity. With the participation of Ms Edite ESTRELA, Chair of the EP ENVI delegation HICC, 1st floor, Room :15-14:45 SUGGESTION 2 - SIDE EVENT for Legislators Visionary Biodiversity Policies and Laws. World Future Council and GLOBE International / GLOBE India in cooperation with CISDL. Follow up of the Biodiversity Session at the World Summit of Legislators at Rio+20 HICC Ground Level HALL I 6

7 15:00-16:00 Pavan Sukhdev Chair of the High-Level Panel on global assessment of resources for implementing the Strategic Plan (established Febr. 2012), Study Leader of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) 16:00-17:00 John Scanlon Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 16:00-17:00 Julia Lefevre Director-General IUCN 18:15-19:45 Side events - participation to event of choice Dinner See separate list of side events 21:00 Briefing by Commissioner Janez Potočnik Aditya Sarovar Hotel Lobby level, Room Crystal 1 Thursday 18 October :30-09:15 João Cravinho Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union in New Delhi Aditya Sarovar Hotel 3rd Floor, Room Council III 10:00-11:00 11:00-12:00 Ibrahim Thiaw Director UNEP Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI), acting as interim IPBES Secretariat Silvia Ribeiro and Neth Daño ETC Group - Focus on Synthetic Biology 12:00-14:00 Lunch break Possibility to attend side-events (13:15-14:45) See separate list of side events 7

8 14:00-15:00 Achim Steiner UNEP Executive Director, 1st Floor Mr Steiner's office 15:00-16:00 Members of the Parliament of India, outside terrace 16:00-17:30 Rio Pavilion - Towards Integrated implementation of the Rio Conventions Focus on exploring linkages between sustainable development, business strategies, and trade issues (Go4BioDiv, GEF, EC, Rio Conventions, Government of South Africa, and partners) Rio Pavilion Friday 19 October 2012 Departure 8

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