European Union

The seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) convened in the morning in Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma opened CoP17 and stated his country is taking action to address the illegal trade of wildlife as called for by the UN General Assembly and UN Environment Assembly. He stressed the importance of wildlife conservation to sustaining local communities and economic development through hunting and ecotourism. John Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, welcomed Angola, Iraq, EU, Tajikistan and Tonga as new parties to CITES. In the afternoon, participants began tackling the long agenda, starting with the Rules of Procedure. Given ongoing disagreements, the CoP17 Chair proposed, and the CoP agreed, to establish an overnight working group to resolve the voting rights of a regional economic integration organization (REIO), and report back to Plenary on Sunday. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from CITES CoP17. The summary and analysis report is now 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 Ceremony Traditional drummers welcome delegates to the meeting Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa Erik Solheim, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee John Scanlon, Secretary-General, CITES South African dancers perform at the opening ceremony, welcoming delegates to the meeting Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during the afternoon session Øystein Størkersen, Chair, Standing Committee CoP Chair Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa Vladimir Ivlev, Russian Federation Zhihua Zhou, China Mauricio Escanero, Mexico Daniel Ashe, Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Daniel Calleja, Director-General for the Environment, EU Edis Solórzano, Venezuela Simon Nemtzov, Israel Gerhard Adams, Germany Adrianne Sinclair, Acting Chair, CITES Plants Committee Carolina Caceres, Chairman, CITES Animals Committee Melanie Virtue, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Mathias Lörtscher, Switzerland Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP Martha Nomaele, Youth Delegate, South Africa Megan Reed, Youth Delegate, US Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism, South Africa Delegates during the session Civil Society Demonstration Members of civil society demonstrate outside the Sandton Convention Centre before the start of the meeting Around the Venue Delegates gather for the opening ceremony Delegates meet informally Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP, speaks with delegates Daniel Ashe (R), Director, USFWS, speaks with delegates Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, speaks with the media Erik Solheim, UNEP Executive Director, speaks with the media Around the exhibition space

On Friday, CRC-12 convened for its final day and in the morning took up all of its remaining work. CRC-12 adopted a decision to recommend listing carbofuran suspension concentrate at or above 330g active ingredient/L in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation (SHPF). The Committee also adopted an updated rationale for the conclusion on the notifications submitted by the EU and Sahalien countries for atrazine and established an intersessional task group to update the CRC Handbook, agreeing to make the guidances in the Handbook available to designated national focal points. Closing the meeting, William Murray, Co-Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam Convention, commended the Committee’s work, reminding them that “without you the Rotterdam Convention would have no core” because the work of CRC serves as the “foundation of the Convention.” IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates from CRC12 and a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. Sarah Maillefer, Switzerland, and Roland Dieterle, CropLife International prepare for the POPRC meeting next week CRC member Manoj Kumar Gangeya, India, intervenes during the CRC meeting CRC member Jinye Sun, China, and Wenjun Zhang, China Yun Zhou, Rotterdam Convention Secretariat, and CRC member Jack Holland, Australia

On Thursday, CRC-12 reconvened. In the morning, the Committee discussed the proposal from Colombia for the inclusion of carbofuran suspension concentrate 330 g/L as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation (SHPF) in Annex III, and established a contact group on the issue. The CRC also discussed the notifications of final regulatory action on atrazine and asked the contact group to consider the remaining outstanding issues, with the exception of the risk evaluation criterion. During lunch, CRC participants attended a side event on assessing highly hazardous pesticide (HHP) use and risks and exploring the alternatives, drawing from experiences from Costa Rica and former Soviet republics. In the afternoon, the contact groups on atrazine and carbofuran suspension concentrate 330 g/L met. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates from CRC12 and a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is available in HTML and PDF. CRC member Nuansri Tayaputch, Thailand, discusses the EU notification for atrazine CRC member Norma Sbarbati-Nudelman, Argentina, discusses the SHPF proposal Noluzuko (Zukie) Gwayi, South Africa, discusses the notifications for atrazine with Karissa Kovner, US CRC member Malverne Spencer, Antigua and Barbuda, introduces the SHPF proposal

On Friday, 9 September, delegates to the second session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom 2) on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) met in the informal working group on cross-cutting issues, facilitated by Chair Charles, in the morning. They discussed state responsibility and liability, dispute resolution, and transitional application. Plenary met for the rest of the day to consider written, revised lists of points of possible areas of convergence and areas for further discussion on: marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; environmental impact assessments; and capacity building and technology transfer. Following a discussion of next steps, including a Chair’s reflection on areas for further discussion on cross-cutting issues and a non-paper to facilitate preparations for PrepCom 3, delegates watched a video message from Academy Award winner actress Emma Thompson about the need to develop strong international rules to protect the oceans. Chair Charles gavelled the meeting to a close at 6:26pm. ENB SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS: The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of PrepCom 2 is available in HTML and PDF. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from the 2nd Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292 “Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.” Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Chair Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago, and Alice Hicuburundi, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS) Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS, with Chair Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago From L-R: Tilani Silva, Sri Lanka; Thembile Joyini, South Africa; and Carlos García Soto, Spain Veronica Frank and Duncan Currie, Greenpeace International Andreas Lunn, Denmark Florian Botto, Monaco Xinmin Ma, China Elizabeth Rodríguez Santiago, American Society of International Law Barbara Boechat, Brazil, with Lucía Raffin, Argentina Tim Packeiser, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Daniela Diz, IISD Reporting Services (IISD-RS) Delegates from the EU conferring John Brincat, EU, and Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Momtaz Djamchid and Zakieh Taghizadeh, Iran Michael Bliss, Australia Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh, and Michael Bliss, Australia Yolannie Cerrato Corrales, Honduras, and Susan Whelan, Holy See John Brincat, EU Gina Guillén-Grillo, Costa Rica Margo Deiye, Nauru Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia Cymie Payne, IUCN Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Prim Masrinuan, Thailand for the Group of 77 and China José Luis Fernández Valoni, Argentina Students and Alumni of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS). From L-R: Lora Nordtvedt Reeve; Harriet Harden-Davies; Filimon Manoni; and Carole Durussel James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya Participants watching a video by Greenpeace From L-R: Tallash Kantai, IISD-RS; Elisa Morgera, IISD-RS; Daniela Diz, IISD-RS; Gina Guillén-Grillo, Costa Rica; and Asterios Tsioumanis, IISD-RS Veronica Frank, Greenpeace Group photo of the Leatherback Group The African Group conferring A farewell gift by the Leatherback Group to Gina Guillén-Grillo, Costa Rica Photo exhibition: Syrian refugees in Brazil

On Thursday, 8 September, delegates to the second session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom 2) on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) met in the informal working group on cross-cutting issues, facilitated by Chair Charles, throughout the day. The informal working group considered: principles, including common heritage of mankind, high seas freedoms, and common but differentiated responsibilities; the ILBI scope; definitions; relationships of the ILBI with UNCLOS and other existing agreements; institutional arrangements; and state responsibility and liability. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from the 2nd Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292 “Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.” Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Alice Revell and John Adank, New Zealand Natalie Morris-Sharma, Singapore, and Evan Bloom, US Lucía Raffin, Argentina Alistair Graham, Australia Maruthadu Sudhakar, India Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb, IUCN Cary Scott-Kemmis, Australia Florian Botto, Monaco Christoph Reusser, Switzerland Gina Guillén-Grillo, Costa Rica Veronica Frank, Greenpeace Konrad Marciniak, Poland Agustín Fornell, Ecuador Jean Kenfack, Cameroon Matthías Pálsson, Iceland, with Tallash Kantai, IISD Reporting Services Maria Pilikou, Cyprus Wini Broadbelt and Sidney Kemble, the Netherlands Anna Knyazeva, Russian Federation John Brincat, EU Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Rena Lee, Singapore Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Prim Masrinuan, Thailand for the Group of 77 and China Ignacio Cazaña, Paraguay Momtaz Djamchid, Iran Reception hosted by the Netherlands Messages from Greening the Blue