9th UNESCO Youth Forum

Following up to the 9th UNESCO Youth Forum, we are contacting youth to find out who would like to get involved in presenting the recommended actions compiled at the Forum relative to climate change, in the run-up to, and during, COP21!

As announced, the discussion on climate change during the Youth Forum will feed directly into the UN and civil-society space at the forthcoming COP 21 which will be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015. UNESCO has ensured several slots where the Forum’s global recommended actions and commitments in the area of climate change can be presented, followed by discussions and exchanges with the audiences.  These are:

• Participation at the “Intergenerational inquiry” session during the “Young and Future Generations Day of the COP 21, organized by UNFCCC (3 December)
• Presentation and exchanges at the UNESCO Pavillion (3 December)
• Participation in the side event round table “Climate Innovators: Empowering a Global Generation of Young People", organized by UNFPA and ILO (8 December)

This event will feature the work of young innovators and the investments needed to ensure the entire generation is empowered to contribute to a sustainable, healthy and resilient future. The objective is to demonstrate that youth have the full potential to bring innovations, solutions and possess entrepreneurial skills for adaptation and resilience to climate change. By sharing their ideas and accomplishments (often against all odds), the presenters will project the wisdom of building on enthusiasm, ingenuity and resourcefulness of youth in order to address the climate change and improve the quality of life for all generations. The presenters should be from the realms of both engineering/technological applications and behavioral change/social policy.

• Presentation and exchanges at the UN Youth booth, coordinated by UNFCCC (date to be determined)

In addition, UNESCO has secured a booth space on 28 November, during COY 11<http://coy11.org/en/>, the conference of youth that will precede COP 21.

For all these opportunities, we are looking for two young Forum participants who:

-          Participated in the Forum’s working sessions on climate change,
-          Are available to come to Paris in the period from 27 November to 9 December.
-          Can tangibly demonstrate that they have taken innovative local action and provided solutions to address climate change.

In addition to COP21 in Paris, two young participants will be invited to present all the Forum’s recommended actions and commitments on climate change during the Commonwealth Youth Forum<https://chogm2015.mt/fora/youthforum> (21-25 November 2015, Malta), as well as to build synergies for their implementation. For this occasion, we are looking for two young Forum participants who:

-          Come from a Commonwealth Member State
-          Are available to travel to Malta on the indicated dates.

All costs related to travel and accommodation in Paris and in Malta respectively for these occasions will be covered by UNESCO.

If you are interested in one of these opportunities, please send us your CV and motivation letter (including  a short description of your
involvement in climate change issues) by Thursday 5 November 2015 at the latest. Please send us a message with the following event you are applying for in the subject line:

-          COP 21 and COY 11
-          Commonwealth Youth Forum

Tothis email address:  9thunescoYouthForum@unesco.org

Best regards,

The Youth Forum Team

Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-19), Montreal, CANADA

UNITED NATIONS meeting on BIODIVERSITY issues in Montreal (SBSTTA-19).  I brought three Grade 7 students from St-Laurent Academy School to participate at the YOUTH table at the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice.  These youth really inspired the crowd, to the point that even the chair came over later and shook their hands.  A special thank you to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to the Global Youth Biodiversity Network.
 

RELAXATION OF LEGAL TIMBER SCHEME WEAKENS FOREST GOVERNANCE REFORM

LONDON/JAKARTA: The last-minute exemption of 15 product groups from Indonesia’s timber legality verification system threatens to block EU market access for these products, to delay or sabotage a long-negotiated EU-Indonesia timber trade agreement and undermine Indonesia’s forest industry reputation, NGOs have warned.

 

The alert from Indonesia’s Independent Forest Monitoring Network (JPIK) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) followings the October 19 passage of Trade Minister Regulation No 89/M-DAG/PER/10/2015, which substantially weakens the SVLK.

 

Under Indonesia’s Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu (SVLK), all wood products exporters’ operations must be audited for compliance against a legality standard covering raw material inputs and factory or trade practices. Positive audit results are rewarded with so-called VLK certificates enabling them to acquire a “V-Legal document”, an export license legally required to export wood products.

 

While this system applies to exports to all markets, it is also the foundation of a long-negotiated Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between Indonesia and the EU. Once the VPA is activated, timber products without associated V-Legal documents will be rejected at EU ports, and cannot be sold on the EU market. Similarly, products accompanies by V-Legal documents will also be exempted from the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which prohibits illegal wood in the EU and requires EU companies to conduct due diligence on wood products purchases. As such, V-Legal documents are the crucial key for Indonesian exporters seeking to unlock EU market access.

 

The new regulation permanently exempts all exporters of 15 wood product customs codes (HS Codes) from the requirement to undergo SVLK audits, while maintaining their ability to export. Exempted companies – many of which have multi-million dollar exports – must still use SVLK certified wood but no checks that they do so will be required, providing significant opportunities for laundering uncertified or illegal wood into supply chains. 

 

The Ministry of Trade exemptions have been vociferously opposed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry and have similarly prompted the EU’s Ambassador to Indonesia to raised concerns in an October 23 letter to the Trade Minister.

 

“The Trade Minister Regulation introduces structural inconsistencies in Indonesia’s long-term efforts to improve forest governance through implementation of the SVLK and threatens the proposed scope and timeframe for the implementation of the Indonesia-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA),” stated Zainuri Hasyim, JPIK National Coordinator.

 

Faith Doherty, EIA Forest Campaign Team Leader agreed, saying: “The Trade Ministry Regulation introduces an eleventh-hour back door exemption for an elite group of companies with friends in high places. It violates the aims and mechanisms underpinning both the SVLK and the VPA. The consequence is that either the VPA must be re-negotiated, the SVLK licensing system must be re-designed or the exempted companies are structurally blocked from accessing the EU market. This bad regulation – ironically produced to hasten de-regulation – needs to be ammended immediately.”

 

The Indonesian Government is planning to announce VPA implementation as a headline offering at the UN climate change talks in Paris in December at a time when major forest fires in Indonesia have produced more carbon emissions than Japan does in a year and which have on occasion surpassed the daily emissions output of the entire US.  

NEW TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL WILDLIFE CRIME- BHUTAN

Forestry and Royal Botanical park services department has come up with a mobile application, where information on wildlife crime could be securely and easily accessible to frontline staff in Bhutan. This contains information about diverse regional species relevant to Bhutan, general description and distribution of the animals, commonly traded animal and animal’s parts in international market, photographs of the animals and its body parts, and visual clues for more accurate identification of wildlife contraband.
October 03
http://www.kuenselonline.com/mobile-app-to-help-curb-wildlife-crimes/

FOREST AND WILDLIFE CRIMES INCREASE- BHUTAN

Crimes related to forest and wildlife has increased even after the frequent patrolling and active watch during the nights. Smuggling of animal products rose from six cases to 19, poaching from 13 to 35, collection of sand and stones increased to 138 from 119 cases, illegal fishing from 123 to 138, and illegal felling of trees from 228 to 232 incidents in this year.
September 29
http://www.kuenselonline.com/forest-and-wildlife-crime-on-the-rise/

FIRST NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM- TIBET

There first natural science museum and the biggest museum in the southwestern autonomous region of Tibet, China has been opened. The 30,000 square-meter museum was financed by investment of more than USD 63 million. Interactive devices have been installed so visitors can experience Tibet's natural wonders. This is expected to facilitate innovative spirit among local youth and increase interest in science and technology in the wider community.
October 02
http://eng.tibet.cn/2012sy/xw/201510/t20151002_3950744.html

MONTREAL PROTOCOL MEETING OF PARTIES IN DUBAI

The 27^th Meeting of Parties (MoP) to the Montreal Protocol will convene from November 1-5, 2015 to discuss pressing issues related to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

 

Prior to the MoP, a resumed two-day Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) of the Parties is expected to conclude discussions on a mandate for a contact group to discuss the HFC amendment proposals.

 

In preparation for the meeting, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has produced the new briefing Solving the Global Climate Crisis: Taking the First Step with a Dubai Amendment on HFCs.

 

Our expert climate campaigners are available for interviews, comment and background briefings.

 

WHO:           Attending from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA):

·         Clare Perry – Climate Campaign Team Leader

·         Tim Grabiel – Senior Lawyer

·         Peter Grabiel – Senior Lawyer

·         Adela Putinelu – Climate Campaigner

 

WHEN:         October 29-30: Resumed OEWG meeting

November 1-5: Montreal Protocol Meeting of Parties

                       

WHERE:         The Conrad Hotel

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates      

  

WHY:           The occasion is of utmost importance as Parties will discuss proposals to reduce the consumption and production of HFCs, super greenhouse gases used in refrigeration and air-conditioning. A global agreement under the Montreal Protocol to address HFCs could prevent the consumption of more than 100 billion tonnes of CO₂e HFCs by 2050. This would achieve significant near-term climate change mitigation and potentially catalyse far-reaching action at the Paris Climate Conference. EIA is calling on Parties to agree an amendment at the 27^th MoP in Dubai which mandates concrete, ambitious reductions in HFC production and consumption in developed countries and incentivises early action by developing countries to curtail HFC growth.

 

 

Follow the event live on Twitter via @EIAinvestigator

 

Biodiversity meeting to examine effectiveness of measures to implement global biodiversity plan

Montreal, 30 October 2015 – Some 600 delegates from around the world will gather together in Montreal, Canada, next week to examine the effectiveness of measures taken by Governments to implement the global biodiversity agenda and mainstream biodiversity into sustainable development through implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Discussions will focus on policy coherence and the monitoring of progress in achieving the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The nineteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 19) will be held from 2 to 5 November 2015 at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal.

SBSTTA, the open-ended intergovernmental scientific body that advises the Conference of the Parties (COP), will review the main implications of the findings of the fourth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-4), which was published in 2014. Using information contained in the fifth national reports, and seeking to identify best practices and lessons learned, SBSTTA will review options for overcoming obstacles to the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Delegates will discuss how to make the best use of available data and information, including work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), to prepare future editions of the Global Biodiversity Outlook.

SBSTTA will also look at the report of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Indicators for the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The Group has recommended a set of potential indicators that could be used to monitor progress at the global level towards the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Many of these indicators would also be relevant to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the goals for sustainable development recently agreed by the United Nations General Assembly.

In addition, delegates will discuss climate-related geoengineering, based on information submitted by Parties and the Update on Climate Geoengineering in Relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The report provides an update on the potential impacts of geoengineering techniques on biodiversity together with an account of regulatory developments since the 2012 studies on geoengineering and biodiversity presented in CBD Technical Series No. 66.

The relationship between biodiversity and human health will also be approached through a review of Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, a State of Knowledge Review, a joint report of the Secretariat of CBD and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Synergies in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets of relevance to forests and other internationally agreed forest-related targets and objectives will be examined. This will include exploring how the Convention on Biological Diversity can better integrate its work with that of the United Nations Forum on Forests and other international organizations, in addition to looking at land use change, consumption patterns, and behaviour and institutional change.

Recommendations emanating from SBSTTA 19 will be considered by the Conference of the Parties at its thirteenth meeting, which will be held from 4 to 17 December 2016 in Cancun, Mexico.

Governments should consider the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as strategy for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction

Montreal, 21 October 2015 – Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it underpins can be the basis for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies as they can deliver benefits that will, according to the outcomes of a recent technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, increase the resilience of people to the impacts of climate change.

The key messages from the workshop, recently held in Johannesburg, South Africa, were delivered at a side event in Ankara, Turkey, at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The focus of the messages is that governments should consider ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to provide safety nets to communities in times of climate shocks and natural disasters. These findings come in advance of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“Paris 2015”).

"Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are the building blocks that provide natural solutions which build resilience for society to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change," said Barbara Thomson, Deputy Minister, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events, ecosystems can provide protection from these extremes by stabilizing the movement of water, earth, rocks and snow; serving as a buffer from climate impacts and hazards. 

Ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation (EbA) use biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, while ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) are defined as ‘sustainable management, conservation and restoration
of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim to achieve sustainable and resilient development’.

“Biodiversity is a critical resource, not only for climate change adaptation and mitigation, but as a tool to make countries more resilient and help reduce the risk and damages associated with natural disasters,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“Taking ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation and ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction enables people to adapt to the impacts of climate change by using opportunities created by sustainably managing, conserving and restoring ecosystems to provide ecosystem goods and services. It is clear that these approaches should be integrated into broader adaptation and development strategies.”

Healthy ecosystems can also reduce socio-economic vulnerability by providing essential goods and services to people, such as supporting income generation and protecting human health.

At the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in October 2014, member States requested the Executive Secretary to compile and analyze experiences on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based adaptation. In response, the Secretariat is preparing a synthesis report that compiles experiences, planned activities and national targets of Parties, as well as other relevant information related to EbA and Eco-DRR. In addition, a technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction was organized in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 28 September to 2 October 2015, with the support of the European Union, the Government of South Africa, the Government of Sweden and the Government of Germany.

The purpose of the workshop was to review a draft synthesis report on experiences with implementation of EbA and Eco-DRR, identify gaps and share more information to strengthen the report. Workshop participants, which included national experts from key regions, including from small island developing States and least developed countries, representatives from indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as experts from relevant organizations, provided perspectives on implementing EbA and Eco-DRR.

The main conclusions from the synthesis report and from the workshop will be presented to the Convention’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice for consideration at its twentieth meeting.

For more information: www.cbd.int/climate/doc/flyer-climate-2015-10-20-en.pdf

EMPOWERING YOUTH ON BIODIVERSITY ISSUES (OTTAWA, ONTARIO)

GRADES 5 TO 12
Today educators and students from St-Laurent Academy, Notre Dame Catholic School, Devonshire Public School, and Lady Evelyn Alternative School partnered together for our training program to accredit youth to become biodiversity leaders in their communities. 
 

This included conservation projects, outdoor classrooms, organic gardening, promoting locally sourced food, and political action.

We began with an introduction to the diversity of life that can exist in an urban setting as seen through our community-based Macoun Marsh restoration project led by St-Laurent Academy Elementary and Junior High students. 

A final piece connected these local elements to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and its international mandate to highlight global environmental activism designed to change the way people think and act.

The first internationally recognized certificate of compliance is issued under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing

Montreal, October 2015 – The first internationally recognized certificate of compliance was issued on 1 October 2015, following a permit made available to the Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Clearing-House by India.

Under the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, Parties are to issue a permit or its equivalent at the time of access as evidence that access to genetic resources was based on prior informed consent and that mutually agreed terms were established. Parties are required by the Nagoya Protocol to make information on the permit or its equivalent, available to the ABS Clearing-House for the constitution of the internationally recognized certificate of compliance.

The permit was issued by India’s National Biodiversity Authority, the competent national authority under the Nagoya Protocol. The certificate then constituted through the ABS Clearing-House serves as evidence of the decision by India to grant access to ethno-medicinal knowledge of the Siddi community from Gujarat to a researcher affiliated with the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. The researcher can now demonstrate that s/he has respected the ABS requirements of India when using this knowledge.

“Last week was an important week for the Nagoya Protocol,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “In addition to having the first internationally recognized certificate of compliance published in the ABS Clearing-House, two additional countries joined the Protocol: the Philippines and Djibouti, which brings the total number of ratifications to 68.”

“The internationally recognized certificate of compliance is one of the major innovations of the Nagoya Protocol and one of the cornerstones of the access and benefit-sharing system,” added Mr. Dias. “The constitution of the first certificate represents a major step towards making the Nagoya Protocol operational. I congratulate the Government of India, and invite others to follow this example and to publish information on their national permits in the ABS Clearing-House. The Secretariat is here to assist you and provide the necessary technical support.”

The ABS-Clearing-House is accessible at: https://absch.cbd.int/

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

Our friends at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are going to organize the first-ever Youth Forum People and Wildlife in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2016 and if you're between 18 and 25 you can be part of it!

It will take place just before CITES COP17 and will provide a very unique platform for youth to get involved in the fight against illegal trade of wildlife, to discuss solutions and to network with youth delegates from all over the world!

GYBN is supporting the organization of this event and we can only warmly recommend you to apply!
To learn more and to submit your application, go to: www.ifaw.org/youthforum

BIODIVERSITY MENTORSHIP PROGRAM- OTTAWA, CANADA

 

GRADES 5 TO 12
Biodiversity affects us all.  A global crisis is taking place now.  Scientists predict that we may lose half of all species on the planet by the end of this century.

On Saturday, October 17, 2015, educators from St-Laurent Academy, Notre Dame Catholic School, St. Patrick High School, Devonshire Public School, and Lady Evelyn Alternative School will partner together to develop a training program to accredit youth to become biodiversity leaders in their communities.  This included conservation projects, outdoor classrooms, organic gardening, promoting locally sourced food, political action (becoming politically literate) etc

We will begin with an introduction to the diversity of life that can exist in an urban setting as seen through our community-based Macoun Marsh restoration project led by St-Laurent Academy Elementary and Junior High students. Students have now identified over 1400 species here.  A parallel language arts program at Devonshire Public School uses a web of local connections to build a template for environmental stewardship based on partnerships between local farmers, grocery store managers, a local restaurant, politicians, and community associations. Youth participants will walk away with a blue print for building both community-focused science and issues-based literacy programs designed to engage them as true defenders of their biological heritage.

A final piece will connect these local elements to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and its international mandate to highlight global environmental activism designed to change the way people think and act.  The students will hear video messages and meet professionals active in biodiversity issues.

We will begin with an introduction to the diversity of life that can exist in an urban setting as seen through our community-based Macoun Marsh restoration project led by St-Laurent Academy Elementary and Junior High students. Students have now identified over 1400 species here.  A parallel language arts program at Devonshire Public School uses a web of local connections to build a template for environmental stewardship based on partnerships between local farmers, grocery store managers, a local restaurant, politicians, and community associations. Youth participants will walk away with a blue print for building both community-focused science and issues-based literacy programs designed to engage them as true defenders of their biological heritage.

A final piece will connect these local elements to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and its international mandate to highlight global environmental activism designed to change the way people think and act.  The students will hear video messages and meet professionals active in biodiversity issues.

Mike Leveille

SEAFOOD GIANT ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN LARGEST FIN WHALE HUNT SINCE COMMERCIAL WHALING BAN

LONDON: Iceland’s controversial fin whale hunt has now ended with a catch of 155 endangered fin whales, the largest slaughter since the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

 

New evidence obtained on the ground by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) reveals the ongoing involvement of international seafood giant HB Grandi in the whaling business, despite its claims to the contrary.

 

The two organisations also confirmed that major international shipping firm Eimskip continues to be closely involved in transporting whale products. 

 

In gathering evidence, EIA and AWI documented a truck belonging to Norðanfiskur – a seafood company wholly owned by HB Grandi since 2014 – transporting crates of whale meat and blubber from the whaling station at Hvalfjörður to Hvalur’s freezer facility in Hafnarfjörður.

 

HB Grandi is Iceland’s largest seafood company and its CEO, Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson, has repeatedly insisted that the company “is not involved in whaling and never has been.” This claim ignores the fact that multi-millionaire Icelandic whaler Kristján Loftsson is chairman of HB Grandi’s board of directors and his whaling company, Hvalur, remains its single largest shareholder (via holding company Vogun).

 

“It is deeply disappointing, but no surprise, that HB Grandi’s repeated assurances that it has nothing to do with whaling have yet again been exposed as nothing but a worthless sop to shareholders and customers who are rightly concerned about its association with the internationally condemned hunting of endangered fin whales,” said Clare Perry, Team Leader of EIA’s Oceans Campaign.

 

Another major player in the transportation of whale meat and blubber around Iceland is Eimskip, a company 25 per cent owned by Yucaipa, a private equity company based in the US. Eimskip’s central involvement in Icelandic whaling includes hauling Hvalur whale products within Iceland and shipping them overseas.

 

In January 2014, Eimskip-chartered vessel the Westerkade was used to transport fin whale meat from Iceland to Halifax, Canada. The shipment was then sent by rail to Vancouver, where it was loaded onto another vessel that sailed to Seattle before departing for Yokohama, Japan.

 

Susan Millward, executive director of Washington DC-based AWI; stated: “It’s disgraceful that a US firm is being tainted by the blood of fin whales. We implore Yucaipa, as Eimskip’s largest shareholder, to exert its influence to end Eimskip’s supporting role in Iceland’s fin whale hunt.”

 

Iceland has continued exporting whale products in defiance of an international ban on such trade; more than 7,200 tonnes of blubber and meat have been sent to Japan since Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006. The most recent shipment of 1,800 tonnes arrived in Osaka in late August, following passage through Russia’s Northern Sea Route.

 

EIA and AWI are calling on International Whaling Commission member states in Europe and the US to increase diplomatic pressure on Iceland to compel it to abide by the moratorium on commercial whaling and the ban on international trade in whale products under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). 

ILLEGAL LOGGING: THE HUGE TRADE IN STOLEN TIMBER BETWEEN MYANMAR AND CHINA

In late July, Myanmar sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison for illegal logging, shining a spotlight on an issue that has been a problem for decades.

 

As China’s rabid demand for teak, redwoods and other timber has grown, so too has the market for stolen wood from Myanmar’s frontier forests. The trade is worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year, making it one of the single largest bilateral flows of illegal timber in the world.

 

The new report from the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Organised Chaos: The illicit overland timber trade between Myanmar and China, will be launched at a special event in Beijing, where a short film on the issue will be screened. EIA investigators will be discussing the report and taking questions.

United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015

25 Sep 2015 - 27 Sep 2015
New York

The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda will be held from 25 to 27 September 2015, in New York and convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly.

Visit Summit website: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/summit/

STATEMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY BRAULIO FERREIRA DE SOUZA DIAS on the occasion of the UNITED NATIONS DAY FOR SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION 12 SEPTEMBER 2015

Over the years, South-South cooperation has emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing international cooperation for achieving sustainable development. In fact, since 2008, developing countries have exported more to one another than to developed countries, with their total trade in 2015 estimated at over US$ 4 trillion. And, according to the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, trade between Africa and the BRIC1 group of Parties has grown more than 7 per cent annually over the last 10 years. Furthermore, the MINT-BRICS2 group of emerging economies provide more than a third of global investment, and a recent BRICS Summit established a US$ 100 billion development bank to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies and developing countries to complement existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development.

International cooperation has changed significantly over the last decade due to the growing experience, capacity and know-how of developing Parties and their centres of expertise. This has led to a rise in innovative scientific and technical solutions, and to new forms of cooperation, where efforts at increased cooperation between countries of the South are complemented by more innovative approaches. This includes triangular cooperation, which also involves developing countries, yet brings resources from the North to facilitate the exchange of cost-effective and culturally and socially appealing solutions. For example, the Japan International Cooperation Agency has a diversified portfolio of assistance programmes in all regions of the South, ranging from support for the ASEAN University Network, to the development of earthquake-resistant housing in El Salvador and Mexico, to the strengthening of mathematics and science education in West, Central, East and Southern Africa.

South-South and triangular cooperation are especially important as the overwhelming majority of the Earth’s biodiversity is found in developing countries. Biodiversity – and the many ecosystem services associated with it – form the foundation of the Earth’s life support systems and underpin human lives and well-being. Anchored in the post-2015 development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals is a clear objective to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services in key national priorities and help countries achieve the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), South-South cooperation has been identified as a key mechanism for scientific and technical cooperation in support of the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Scientists and agencies based in the South are playing a major role in the implementation of the Convention. Working with the Secretariat of the CBD, for instance, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has scaled up its support to South-South Cooperation and launched a South-South Cooperation Exchange Mechanism, linked to the Consortium of Scientific Partners on Biodiversity, and supporting the implementation of the Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development, adopted in parallel to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention and recognized by the Parties. An innovative agreement of collaboration signed in 2013 between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the Brazilian Technical Cooperation Agency has enabled experts from Embrapa to provide technical expertise to developing countries. Among the 22 members of the Convention’s Consortium of Scientific Partners on Biodiversity are several global players from the South, such as the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), the Mexican National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute (InBio) and the Colombian Humboldt Institute. The Secretariat also works with UNEP to support its network of universities, mostly from the South, through the Global Universities Partnership on Environment and Sustainability.

An important recent development of relevance for developing countries is the Convention’s 2015- 2020 Bio-Bridge Initiative (BBI). Launched by the Republic of Korea in 2014 at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, BBI supports developing countries in their efforts to achieve the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. In order to enable more systematic and sustainable technical and scientific cooperation, with a focus on using Southern hubs and partners, the initiative will facilitate the communication of the technical and scientific needs and priorities of countries, enhance the availability and accessibility of information with respect to best practices and expertise, and match the needs of countries with offers of support by relevant global, regional and national organizations and initiatives. South-South cooperation for biodiversity is an example of effective international cooperation that can point the way to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.