From December 7 - 14, 2016, almost 10,000 representatives from the 196 Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as well as NGOs, indigenous and local communities, international organizations, and other stakeholders will meet in Cancun, Mexico, for the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties - commonly known as COP 13, and the 2nd Meeting of Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (COP-MOP 2). COP 13’s core focus is on 'mainstreaming of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for well-being in sectoral and inter-sectoral plans, programs and policies'. Meanwhile, the COP-MOP 2 will assess progress made in implementing the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing, a new international treaty that entered into force in 2014.
Within these global negotiations, significant attention is being paid to sharing progress and new approaches to transform the CBD’s ambitions into realities on the ground. IDLO will be at the conference to facilitate dialogues on the role of the rule of law for biodiversity mainstreaming, and to launch innovative capacity building tools to guide the design of measures to implement the Nagoya Protocol. Further information on our Biodiversity program can be found here.
IDLO will be co-hosting three side events at COP 13 from December 12 - 14, which all delegates are welcome to attend:
Event 1: Capacity building to establish measures to implement the Nagoya Protocol
Details:
Monday, December 12, 2016 | 13:15 pm | Business Group Meeting Room, Sunrise Building, 2nd Floor
Summary:
Establishing legislative, policy and administrative measures is a critical early step in implementing the Nagoya Protocol. No one-size-fits-all solution exists, and Parties will need to adapt approaches as experience with ABS issues grows. Building national legal capacity is a key to long-term success.
IDLO and SCBD invite COP delegates to learn about outcomes and discuss plans of a new capacity building course, including:
- Launch of new e-learning modules (English, French, Spanish);
- Opportunities to attend interactive workshops using latest capacity building methodologies;
- Establishment of a global network of ABS legal professionals.
Join an interactive discussion with several COP 13 delegates from countries advancing on the design of their ABS measures on:
- What are the latest advances in ABS measures?
- What has been the impact of the course on national processes?
- What are the next priorities for capacity building?
Partners:
Event 2: The role of law and policies to mainstream biodiversity: How to get to the next level?
Details:
Monday, December 12, 2016 | 18:15 pm | Contact Group 3, Universal Building, main floor
Summary:
Building a supportive framework of national laws and policies – towards more cross-cutting and inclusive approaches - is a key ingredient for success in biodiversity mainstreaming. This side event will feature lessons learned and new tools developed from a range of projects by FNI, IDLO, and UNEP-WCMC, including:
- New Report on how the new generation of NBSAPs are addressing mainstreaming challenges & legal preparedness;
- Outcomes of the COP13 workshop on “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Development and the SDGs”;
- Lessons learned and new tools from mainstreaming experiences in Uganda, Ghana and Zimbabwe (NBSAP 2.0);
- Introduction to new Factsheets and Legal Assessment Tool on Biodiversity Mainstreaming.
Partners:
Event 3: Implementing the SDGs: Mainstreaming biodiversity within law, human rights & economic instruments
Details:
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 | 18:15 pm | Side-Event 1 Room, Universal building, main floor
Summary:
Awareness is growing that addressing biodiversity loss requires more than technical solutions. It is a matter of justice and equity. The year 2016 has seen major advances in advancing law and human rights for the environment - a new SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions and upcoming UN report on human rights and biodiversity. Meanwhile, key lessons on governance and safeguards are being learned from the implementation of innovative biodiversity financing mechanisms (BFMs)
This side event will discuss new advances and develop new tools to design law and justice approaches for biodiversity mainstreaming and financing.
Partners:
All delegates are welcome to join, with further information available here.
Learn more about IDLO’s Biodiversity program here.
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