European Union

On Monday, 12 December, WG I approved without, or with minor discussion, conference room papers (CRPs) on: Cartagena Protocol Article 30 (subsidiary bodies); review of progress towards Aichi Target 16 on the Nagoya Protocol; and monitoring and reporting, and use of the term “indigenous peoples and local communities” under the Cartagena Protocol. WG I further heard reports from contact groups and addressed CRPs on: Strategic Plan implementation; compliance under the Nagoya Protocol; integration among the Convention and its Protocols; the Supplementary Protocol on liability and redress under the Cartagena Protocol; assessment and review under the Nagoya Protocol; and the communications strategy. WG II approved without, or with minor discussion, CRPs on the in-depth dialogue on thematic areas and other cross-cutting issues, best-practice guidelines on TK repatriation, and scientific assessment of progress towards selected Aichi Targets. WG II further addressed: implementation of Aichi Targets 11 (protected areas) and 12 (threatened species); the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) and IPBES; indicators; and invasive alien species. Contact groups and Friends of the Chair groups met throughout the day to address: capacity building; unintentional transboundary movements under the Cartagena Protocol; sequence information on genetic resources; global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol; biodiversity mainstreaming; the financial mechanism; and synergies. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the UN Biodiversity Conference. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Working Group I L-R: Valerie Normand, CBD Secretariat; David Ainsworth, CBD Secretariat; and WG I Chair Mette Gervin Damsgaard (Denmark) Contact Group Co-Chair Wadzi Goredema-Mandivenyi, South Africa, reported on the contact group on risk assessment Contact Group Co-Chair Laure Ledeux, EU, reported on the contact group on resource mobilization L-R: Contact Group Co-Chairs Maria Schultz, Sweden, and Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ghana, reported on the contact group on capacity building Felipe Costa, Brazil Jimena Nieto Carrasco, Colombia L-R: Korsheda Yasmeen, Nurul Karim, Mohammed Solaiman Haider, and AKM Rafiqul Islam, Bangladesh L-R: Helmut Gaugitsch, Elfriede Anna More, and Andreas Meissenberger, Austria Delegates from China consulting Marcia Levaggi, Argentina Mehmet Gölge, Turkey Barbara De Rosa-Joynt, US Laurent Schley, Luxembourg Naritiana Rakotoniaina Ranaivoson, Madagascar Babucarr Dumbuya, the Gambia Working Group II WG II Chair Malta Qwathekana (South Africa) Risa Smith, Canada José Luis Echeverría Tello, Guatemala Moustafa Fouda, Egypt Jukka-Pekka Jäppinen, Finland Bob Kagumaho Kakuyo , Uganda Anne Teller, EU Nadia Chenouf, Algeria Sarah Pearson Perret, Switzerland Malik Morjan, South Sudan Ghanim Abdullah Mohammed, Qatar Darío Mandelburger, Paraguay Andrew Bignell, New Zealand Samantha Hautea, Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) Ramon Carillo Arellano, ITTO Delegates from Malaysia consulting L-R: Reem Al Mheiri and Hiba Al Shehhi, United Arab Emirates L-R: Raphaël Simonet and Ludovic Aquilina, Monaco COP 13 Snapshots Central Africa Forests Commission (COMIFAC) member states consulting L-R: Easter Galuvao, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and Makiko Yashiro, UN Environment L-R: Evelin Acosta and Hortencia Hidalgo Caceres, IIFB COP 13 documentation team

The theme for the Rio Conventions Pavilion (RCP) on Monday, 12 December, was Protected Areas: “Partnerships for improving natural wealth for achieving global targets and for addressing global challenges.” The session provided a forum to discuss the status of implementation of Aichi Target 11 (protected areas) and national "roadmaps" of prioriy actions; how the roadmaps contribute to achieving the Target; and helping countries in implementing their roadmap in order to achieve multiple benefits. The EU, UNDP, Japan Biodiversity Fund, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), Governments of Germany, Republic of Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, GEF, Birdlife International, IUCN, Institut de la Francophonie pour le Développement Durable (IFDD), Red Latinoamericana de Cooperación Técnica en Parques Naturales, Áreas Protegidas, Fauna y Flora Silvestre (REDPAQUES) and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) were co-organizers. In the morning session, participants heard about progress in implementing Aichi Target 11 and national roadmaps. Session 1 showcased experiences from the Asia and Pacific region, with presentations from India, Fiji, SPREP and ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. Session 2 focused on Africa, with experiences from South Africa and Uganda, and on support from Germany and IFDD. In the afternoon, Session 3 on Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) focused on Mexico and Brazil, and the work of REDPARQUES. Session 4 presented perspectives from Europe, including the Governments of Albania and Malta, the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) and IUCN/WCPA Global Programme, Europe. The last Session featured presentations by the GEF Secretariat, BirdLife International, UNEP/WCMC, and Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) Consortium. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary report from RCP at CBD COP 13. A summary of the Rio Conventions Pavilion events is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Session L-R: Sarat Babu Gidda, CBD Secretariat; Stefan Leiner, European Commission, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD; Matthias Krause, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany; Neville Ash, UN Environment (UNEP); Jamison Ervin, UN Development Programme (UNDP); and Trevor Sandwith, IUCN Sarat Babu Gidda, CBD Secretariat Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD Stefan Leiner, European Commission Neville Ash, UNEP Matthias Krause, BMZ, Germany Sarat Babu Gidda, CBD Secretariat, Edjigayehu Seyoum, CBD Secretariat, and David Cooper, Deputy Executive Secretary, CBD, thank Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD, for his work in advancing Protected Areas around the world Session 1: Asia and Pacific Region L-R: Vinod Mathur, Wildlife Institute of India; Eleni Tokaduadua, Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment, Fiji; Stuart Chape, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); Roberto Oliva, Executive Director, Asian Nations (ASEAN) Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); and Ignacio March, National Commission for Natural Protected Areas, Mexico Ignacio March, National Commission for Natural Protected Areas, Mexico Vinod Mathur, Wildlife Institute of India Eleni Tokaduadua, Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment, Fiji Stuart Chape, SPREP Session 2: Africa Region View of the panel during the session Aggret Rwetsiba, Uganda Wildlife Authority Thanduxolo Mkefe, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Participants in the session engage with the panel Session 3: Latin America and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) View of the panel during the session Jamison Ervin, UNDP Ugo Vercillo, Chico Mendes Institute, Brazil Cláudio Maretti, IUCN Participants during the session Session 4: Europe Marie Therese Gambin, Environment and Planning Authority, Malta Klodiana Marika, Ministry of Environment, Albania Grégoire Dubois, EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) Session 5: Presentation by Other Partners Grazia Borrini-Feyerabend, ICCA Consortium Pepe Clarke, BirdLife International Naomi Kingston, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) Trevor Sandwith, IUCN Mark Zimsky, GEF Secretariat Launch of the 'Protected Planet' Report Partners of the 'Protected Planet' report and participants in the session join hands in support for the implementation of the National Priority Actions on Protected Areas for achieving multiple benefits Around the Venue

The following event was covered by IISD Reporting Services on Saturday, 10 December 2016: Signature and Launch of the Yucatan Peninsula Agreement on Sustainability for 2030 (ASPY) Biodiversity-Related Development Finance: Towards Better Tracking IISD Reporting Services, through its ENBOTS Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage of selected side-events from the UN Biodiversity Conference. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Signature and Launch of the Yucatan Peninsula Agreement on Sustainability for 2030 (ASPY) Presented by the Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Mexican REDD+ Programme, and the Latin American Conservation Council (LACC) At this event, moderated by Antonio Godoy, State of Quintana Roo, the state governments of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán in Mexico, together with civil society organizations (CSOs) and over 50 companies committed to green growth and conservation of the Yucatán Peninsula by signing the ASPY. Aurelio Ramos, Director, TNC Latin America, noted the need to increase food production by 2050 due to population increase, stressing that Latin America is central to addressing this challenge. He underscored the need for private-public partnerships to meet the joint challenges of development and conservation, lauding the partnerships represented within the ASPY. He highlighted that the ASPY aims to, inter alia: achieve zero deforestation by 2030; restore two million hectares of degraded lands; and promote Mayan biocultural landscapes on over five million hectares of land. Rafael Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, Governor of Campeche, said that the signing represented a step forward in the preservation of the YucatánPeninsula and in biodiversity mainstreaming. Calling the Agreement the “start of the green wave” of Mexico, he stressed that the ASPY will address not only forestry, but also marine and coastal, as well as terrestrial, biodiversity. He highlighted the region’s biocultural heritage, as well as the numerous protected areas, stating that Campeche has the largest mangrove area in the country. Rolando Zapata Bello, Governor of Yucatán, underscored that the region’s natural wealth is a “treasure,” pointing to the threats posed by climate change. He highlighted that the ASPY is an important strategy for the region and will be essential in achieving zero deforestation, and addressing sustainable consumption and production. He drew attention to Mexico’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and the Cancún Declaration on Mainstreaming Biodiversity, stressing that the Yucatán Peninsula will be central to achieving both these agreements. In a keynote address, Carlos Manuel Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, noted that the signing of the ASPY will drive green growth in the Yucatán Peninsula, and announced that this is the first regional agreement on conservation and sustainable growth in Mexico. He stressed that the ASPY is an opportunity to elaborate new green development strategies, and called for the coordination of efforts in order to meet the strategic goals set out in the Agreement, including on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, coastal zone management, ecosystem conservation, water, sustainable markets and sustainable tourism. He welcomed private sector partnerships to attain long-term sustainability represented in the ASPY, expressing confidence that other entrepreneurs and private sector actors will also join the Agreement. The Governors then signed the ASPY, which consists of two interlinked agreements: the collaboration Agreement between the three states; and the Private Sector Declaration. The dais during the event Aurelio Ramos, Director, TNC Latin America, pointed to the ASPY as a tool to attract resources from the global community and the private sector in order to promote green growth in the Yucatán Peninsula. Rafael Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, Governor of Campeche, stressed that “we need to leave a better world for our children,” underlining the need for the youth to be involved in the green growth agenda. Rolando Zapata Bello, Governor of Yucatan, welcomed the ASPY, highlighting that it will make the region attractive to new investments that promote sustainable growth. Carlos Manuel Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, promised that he would “restore one coral for each vote,” and called for private investment in green development. (L-R): Rolando Zapata Bello, Governor of Yucatan, Carlos Manuel Joaquín González, Governor of Quintana Roo, and Rafael Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, Governor of Campeche, sign the ASPY. Contact: Nadia Peimbert (Coordinator) | npeimbert@tnc.org More Information: http://www.nature.org/ggc http://ccpy.gob.mx/agenda-regional/aspy2030.php Biodiversity-Related Development Finance: Towards Better Tracking Presented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) This workshop, moderated by Gabriela Blatter, Federal Office of Environment, Switzerland, engaged participants in discussing current methods of tracking biodiversity-related financing. Markus Lehmann, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, highlighted the challenges faced by parties in meeting the financial mobilization targets, noting that mainstreaming biodiversity into all sectors makes financial reporting difficult, and pointed to the additional challenge on reporting private assistance. In the first session, on approaches to tracking biodiversity-related development finance, Galina Alova, OECD, presented the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System (CRS) used to monitor development finance targeting the three Rio Conventions. She described the Rio Markers, which are used to capture data to track financing of Rio Conventions’-related activities and goals. She reported bilateral biodiversity-related official development assistance (ODA) of US$8.7 billion in 2014-2015, with the top five contributors being Germany, the US, Japan, France and the EU. In a brief discussion, participants noted difficulties in ensuring data consistency due to the qualitative nature of the Rio Marker. Luis Antonio Sánchez Perales, Ministry of Environment, Peru, spoke about his country’s approach to tracking biodiversity-related expenditure, stressing that “we must know how much goes to salaries and how much goes to trees and birds.” He presented an online platform where data on both public and private expenditure for biodiversity-related finance can be tracked, noting that an average of US$500 million was spent between 2010 and 2014 on waste management, waste water treatment and in situ conservation of potato breeds. Bart Missinne, European Commission (EC), highlighted that the EU’s strategy for “biodiversity-proof” development cooperation must ensure that biodiversity is considered in: strategic environmental assessments, to identify and prevent undesired side effects of development projects on biodiversity, and through mitigation measures from development projects; and sector-wide planning, such as for health and infrastructure projects. He demonstrated how the EU has doubled total biodiversity-related ODA to developing countries by 116% against a baseline of average spending from 2006-2010. Ferdinand Mwapopi, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, discussed his country’s experience in tracking national biodiversity expenditure. He cited the use of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) approach for public-private expenditure reviews for biodiversity and costing biodiversity-related projects. He reported progress in disaggregating expenditure data based on sources and activities, noting that biodiversity expenditure was highest in 2010, receiving 2.4% of total government expenditure, and lauded the substantial increase in Germany’s contribution since 2015. Blatter, on behalf of Eva Mayerhofer, European Investment Bank, spoke on the development of a joint methodology to track biodiversity-related multilateral development finance for multilateral development banks (MDBs). She reported reduced biodiversity-related funding and called on MDB member countries to channel more funding towards biodiversity. She noted that the OECD tracking methodology follows a process-related approach to assess the biodiversity relevance of funding, adding that tracking positive impacts of funding on ecosystem management is preferable to tracking financial flows. In the second session on how the DAC CRS can be used to track biodiversity-related ODA, Guillaume Simon, OECD, presented a biodiversity-related development finance database of the OECD using three examples of project reporting to illustrate information on, inter alia, donor commitments, project descriptions, timelines and geographic specification. He noted the database uses the Rio Markers to specify whether principal objectives of the project are biodiversity-related. He also said the data could be exported and that a data visualization tool, which illustrates project details, can be accessed at: http://stats.oecd.org Armida Andres, Biodiversity Management Bureau, the Philippines, discussed her country’s experience, noting concerns on the use of the Rio Markers since most projects do not fall directly in the categories proposed. She recommended feedback mechanisms between donor recipient countries and the CRS to refine these categories and to include differentiation of project implementation at national, subnational and local levels. She noted that tracking biodiversity expenditure is contributing to reporting to National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). She underscored her country’s preference for its own public expenditure review processes, saying the EU markers were “oversimplified.” Matthias Krause, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany, reported on a BMZ report ‘Committed to Biodiversity,’ which tracks Germany’s international cooperation in support of the CBD. He said bilateral funding is channeled through BMZ and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). He noted that the report focuses on international biodiversity finance, which promotes sustainable production and consumption patterns and ensures biodiversity and ecosystem services are taken into account in economic and political decision-making processes. In a lively two-part discussion, participants discussed, inter alia: the complexities of reporting particularly against the backdrop of mainstreaming biodiversity; the need to ensure that ODA actually benefits biodiversity; the importance of sharing information to avoid overlaps and improve transparency; the role of BIOFIN in reporting; the need to use biodiversity-relevant coefficients to mainstream biodiversity at the national level; and the need to consider biodiversity finance related to private lands. They also spoke about, inter alia: how to account for the difference between what is reflected in project proposals and what is implemented on the ground; how to practically track financing in the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; and the danger of basing the ability to achieve all the Targets on Aichi Biodiversity Target 20 (resource mobilization). They also highlighted: the extent of biodiversity-related projects on the database; the importance of assisting recipient countries in using the OECD reporting database; the potential to bridge the gap between the use of datasets in reporting biodiversity-related financing and transparently communicating how this reporting aligns with national commitments for the Rio Conventions; and the use of “commitments” versus “disbursements” in reporting national efforts for biodiversity conservation. Moderator Gabriela Blatter, Federal Office of Environment, Switzerland Markus Lehmann, CBD Secretariat, welcomed country perspectives on biodiversity-related financial reporting. Galina Alova, OECD, said Africa accounted for the highest share of bilateral biodiversity-related ODA commitments in 2014-15, amounting to 31%. Luis Antonio Sánchez Perales, Ministry of Environment, Peru, noted that “it is not how much we spend on biodiversity, but what we do with the funding.” Bart Missinne, EC, described how the EU uses performance indicators to track and report on biodiversity investment. Grégoire Dubois, EC, during ensuing discussions. Matti Nummelin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland Ferdinand Mwapopi, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, said Namibia has been tracking biodiversity-related funding since 2006. Guillaume Simon, OECD Development Co-operation Directorate, described the content of an online database to track biodiversity-related development finance. Matthias Krause, BMZ, said that since 2012, projects that include the Rio Markers are considered in a country’s biodiversity-related bilateral financing. Contact: Galina Alova (Coordinator) | Galina.Alova@oecd.org Nicolina Lamhauge (Coordinator) | Nicolina.Lamhauge@oecd.org More Information: http://oe.cd/RioMarkers

On Friday, WG I approved without, or with minor discussion, conference room papers on the SBI modus operandi and mechanisms to support review of implementation under the Convention and its Protocols. WG I further addressed: unintentional transboundary movements, and transit and contained use, of LMOs; and review of implementation of the Strategic Plan. WG II addressed: pollinators; forest biodiversity; biodiversity and climate change; ecosystem restoration; and progress towards Aichi Targets 11 (protected areas) and 12 (threatened species). Contact groups on resource mobilization, the financial mechanism, and risk assessment of LMOs met throughout the day. An evening plenary reviewed progress, adopted decisions and addressed organizational issues. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the UN Biodiversity Conference. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Working Group I WG I Chair Mette Gervin Damsgaard (Denmark) Marcus Davies, Canada Diego Pacheco Balanza, Bolivia Hayria Mohamed, Comoros Leticia Rubello, Grupo Ecologista del Mayab A.C. (GEMA) Lim Li Ching, Third World Network (TWN) Anselmina Liphola, Mozambique Shirin Karryeva, Turkmenistan Soul Lee, Republic of Korea Ruben Dekker, EU Mohamed Ali Ben Temessek, Tunisia Takashi Ito, Japan Somaly Chan, Cambodia Marcia Levaggi, Argentina L-R: Shirin Karryeva, Turkmenistan; Elvana Ramay, Albania; and Senka Barudanovich, Bosnia and Herzegovina L-R: Christine von Weizsäcker, ECOROPA and François Meienberg, Switzerland L-R: Murali Krishna; Amita Prasad; Vibha Ahuja; and Gyanesh Bharti, India L-R: Willy Tonui; Josphat Muchiri; and Kavaka Mukonyi, Kenya Working Group II WG II Chair Malta Qwathekana (South Africa) L-R: Paula Díaz and Karin Molt, Chile L-R: Jaime Grubb, James Hammond, and Melissa Cotterill, Australia Asghar Mohammadi Fazel, Iran Tone Solhaug, Norway Horst Korn, Germany Javier Gutierrez, Nicaragua Lena Chan, Singapore Abdul-Hakim Aulaiah, Yemen Delegates from WG II in a huddle to discuss language pertaining to ecosystem restoration Plenary Rafael Pacchiano Alamán, COP 13 President, presiding over the evening plenary Chair Mette Gervin Damsgaard (Denmark) Chair Malta Qwathekana (South Africa) Spencer Thomas, Grenada, reported on the status of the Budget Committee Maria Luisa Angelica Del Rio Mispireta, Peru, reported on the status of the Credentials Committee Chengshou Bai, China, formally accepted to host COP 15 in China COP 13 Snapshots L-R: Clare Glass Rudaks and Mercy Mundyadzwe, Botswana Delegates from the Philippines Delegates from Malaysia showing their CHM award and certificate of achievement from CBD

On Thursday, WG I addressed: cooperation with other conventions and organizations; a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol; and socioeconomic considerations, liability and redress, risk assessment and risk management, and unintentional transboundary movement of LMOs under the Cartagena Protocol. WG II approved without, or with minor discussion, conference room papers (CRPs) on sustainable wildlife management, UNPFII recommendations and climate-related geo-engineering. WG II further addressed marine debris and underwater noise, marine spatial planning, biodiversity in cold-water areas and pollinators. The budget group met in the morning. Contact groups on resource mobilization, capacity building, the financial mechanism, synthetic biology and Article 8(j) met throughout the day. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the UN Biodiversity Conference. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Working Group I Chair Mette Gervin Damsgaard (Denmark) presiding over WG I Micheline Dorcé Donnacien, IIFB Pedro Rocha, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Cuauhtémoc Ochoa Fernández, Mexico Elena Makeyeva, Belarus Leo Maier, EU Neimatullo Safarov, Tajikistan Véronique Amari, Côte d'Ivoire Yousef Saleh Al-Hafedh, Saudi Arabia Goote Voigt-Hanssen, Norway Christine Echookit Akello, Uganda Letchumanan Ramatha, Malaysia Claudio Chiarolla, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Kent Nnadozie, Secretary, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) Working Group II L-R: Robert Höft, CBD Secretariat and WG II Chair Malta Qwathekana (South Africa) Reneé Sauvé, Canada Alain De Comarmond, Seychelles Adam van Opzeeland, New Zealand Ana María Hernández Salgar, Colombia Karma Nyedrup, Bhutan Esther Shushu Makwaia, Tanzania Akram Eissa Darwich, IFAW L-R: Augusto Manuel Pinto and Marcal Gusmao, Timor-Leste L-R: Marco Vinicio Araya, Pamela Castillo, and Zdenka Piskulich, Costa Rica L-R: Eleni Tokaduadua, Alisi Rabukawaqa, and Alfred Ralifo, Fiji L-R: Victor Canton, Anna Laura Mello, and Alejandro Nario Carvalho, Uruguay L-R: Sarat Babu Gidda, CBD Secretariat, in conversation with Umair Shahid, Pakistan L-R: Daniela Diz, IISD RS, discussing marine issues with Alexander Shestakov, Russian Federation Contact Groups Contact group on traditional knowledge COP 13 participants waiting to enter the contact group on synthetic biology COP 13 Snapshots L-R: Ailis Rego, Charles Gbedemah, Michele Rattray, CBD Secretariat, waiting for the Budget Committee to start its session with CBD Executive Secretary Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias Youth participants consulting Nader Ibrahim, CBD Secretariat, with youngest COP 13 participant Theodore Sinatra, Mexico L-R: Daniela Hernández Orozco, Daniel Goycochea Rodríguez, and Alejandra Guzman Olguín, Mexico