European Union

Highlights for Sunday, 18 August 2019 Delegates from Sudan converse as a vote on restricting the definition of acceptable destinations with regard to trade in live African elephants takes place in Committee I. Committee I Chair, Rod Hay, opened the meeting with a traditional New Zealand saying, “Behold the breath of life… to the sacred earth, greetings” and joined his colleagues in a traditional song. In stressing collaboration and supporting disparate worldviews, he reminded participants that “nature isn’t ruled by dogma” and that the human relationship with nature must inform our decisions.Committee I discussed the African Carnivores Initiative (ACI) between CITES and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) on four African carnivore species: lion, leopard, cheetah, and wild dog. CMS spoke in support of this joint work and highlighted the upcoming Conference of Parties in India, as well as plans for a new position to support ACI. The US noted the need for greater involvement by the Standing Committee. Zimbabwe, Mali, Togo, and others supported the creation of ACI and emphasized the importance of funding for implementation and capacity building. The Committee called on the CoP to adopt the draft decisions on the Joint CITES-CMS African Carnivores Initiative.During the discussion on African lions and how they are affected by illegal trade, Mexico and other countries highlighted that big cats in other regions are also affected by illegal trade and the trade in bones and body parts, mentioning the case of jaguars in Bolivia, Belize, Peru, and Mexico. The Committee established a working group to discuss issues related to African lions as well as big cats in other regions, chaired by Mathias Lörtscher, Switzerland.Committee I also discussed the agenda item on quotas on leopard hunting trophies. The EU favored suspending the quotas of countries that have not provided relevant information for review, pending recommendations to be made by the Animals and Standing Committees. Several African countries highlighted the difficulty of assessing leopard populations. Senegal stated that leopard hunting quotas have been out of date and that quotas should be based on scientific evidence. The Committee established a working group, chaired by the UK, to review the process for interpreting and applying quotas.Committee I also agreed to review existing guidance on non-detriment findings (NDF), identify gaps and, subject to findings, to hold an international expert workshop to NDF guidelines. A proposal by Pakistan to discuss quotas for markhor hunting trophies was withdrawn. The Committee agreed to study the identification of sturgeons and paddlefish specimens in trade.In Committee II, Chair Craig Hoover facilitated the discussion of agenda items on financial and administrative matters related to the implementation of the Convention and functioning of the Secretariat, including the relationship between CITES and other biodiversity-related Conventions. A proposal by Iraq on the language strategy for the Convention drew attention to the challenges faced by Arabic, Russian and Chinese-speaking delegates. Committee II also addressed the need for a more targeted review of the Convention’s effectiveness.CoP18 held its first vote in the afternoon, with parties in Committee I supporting amendments that would restrict the definition of “appropriate and acceptable destinations” with regard to trade in live African elephants only to areas that are in situ conservation programmes, or secure areas within the natural range of the species. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from CITES CoP18. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Committee I: Species-Specific Matters Delegates in Committee I: Species Specific-Matters. Kanako Hasegawa, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) Chair Rod Hay, New Zealand, opens the session with a traditional Maori song. Ouahida Boucekkine, Algeria Kahessay Gebretinsae Asgedom, Ethiopia Patrick Omondi, Kenya Dietrich Jelden, International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) Elly Hamunyela, Namibia Nestor Waliwa, Central African Republic Shonisani "Shoni" Munzhedzi and Mpho Tjiane, South Africa Munesushe Munodawafa, Zimbabwe Warthane Puvanarajah, EU Zhanqiang Wen, China Marco Pani, Conservation Force Parties vote in support of amendments that restrict the definition of ‘appropriate and acceptable destinations’ with regard to trade in live African elephants only to areas that are in situ conservation programmes or secure areas within the natural range of the species. Members of the Secretariat discuss the vote on the dais. Delegates from the EU consult before the vote takes place. The amendment is passed as parties vote 71% in support of the proposal. Committee II: Interpretation and Implementation Matters Delegates in Committee II: Interpretation and Implementation Matters. Moustafa Fouda, Egypt Carolina Caceres, Canada Pamela Scruggs, US Øystein Størkersen, Norway Chair Craig Hoover, US Bill Clark, Israel Denis Popov, Russian Federation Jamel Tahiri, Tunisia Obaid Ali Al Shamsi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Blamah Sando Goll, Liberia Tadashi Sato, Japan Around the Venue Alejandra Goyenechea, Defenders of Wildlife, and Rebecca Regnery, Humane Society International Melanie Virtue, CMS Secretariat, speaks with delegates. Delegates review documents. Delegates speak informally between sessions.

Highlights for Tuesday, 6 August 2019 Huddles convened throughout the day to address various paragraphs of the Summary for Policymakers. On Tuesday, the second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups (WGs) I, II and III, in cooperation with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), continued consideration of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL). Delegates met in morning, afternoon and night plenary sessions, as well as in contact groups and huddles to advance work on the SPM. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page From L-R: IPCC Secretary Abdalah Mokssit; IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee; and IPCC Deputy Secretary Kerstin Stendahl during a brief afternoon meeting of the IPCC Plenary Elisha Nyikadzino Moyo, Zimbabwe Hamid Abakar Souleymane, Chad From L-R: John Jende, Maggie Bailey, and WG III Vice-Chair Mark Howden, Australia Nirivololona Raholijao, Madagascar Sadegh Zeyaeyan, Iran WG I Vice-Chair Edvin Aldrian Huddles convened throughout the day to address various paragraphs of the SPM. Christiane Textor, Germany Éric Brun, France José Romero, Switzerland WG I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte with WG III Co-Chair Jim Skea Delegates from the US WG I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte consulting with Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs) Markku Rummukainen, Sweden A group of delegates, including Barron Joseph Orr. Lead Scientist, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), supported the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality target. Contact Group Meetings Elvira Poloczanska, WG II TSU, and Elena Shevliakova, CLA Christian Müller, Germany, with Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia From L-R: Contact Group Co-chair Hélène Van Rossum, France; Contact Group Co-chair Myung-Chul Seo, Republic of Korea; and Elena Shevliakova, CLA Onelica Andrade, European Union Omar Al Mulhem, Saudi Arabia WG II Vice-Chair Andreas Fischlin Eric Haxthausen, US

From L-R: Jo House, Coordinating Lead Author (CLA); WG III Vice-Chair Ramón Pichs-Madruga; IPCC Vice-Chair Ko Barrett; and Jean-François Soussana, CLA On Saturday, the second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups (WGs) I, II and III, in cooperation with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI), continued consideration of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL). Delegates met in morning, afternoon and evening sessions to discuss specific paragraphs in the section on People, land and climate in a changing world. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page WG II Vice-Chair Andreas Fischlin and José Romero, Switzerland Qingchen Chao, China Jean-François Soussana, CLA John Jende, Australia Riad Azziz Hirche, Algeria Felipe García Olaso, Uruguay WG I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte with WG II Co-Chair Debra Roberts Anna Pirani, WG I Technical Support Unit Thiagarajan Jayaraman, India From L-R: IPCC Vice-Chair Ko Barrett; WG III Vice-Chair Ramón Pichs-Madruga; and Jo House, CLA Nijavalli Ravindranath, India Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia and WG I Vice-Chair Noureddine Yassaa Keiko Yoshikawa, Japan WG II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Pörtner Jolene Cook, UK Artur Runge-Metzger, European Union Delegates from Finland conferring during a break in negotiations. Riad Azziz Hirche, Algeria and WG I Vice-Chair Noureddine Yassaa Elhousseine Gouaini, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) with IPCC Secretary Abdalah Mokssit WG II Vice-Chair Andreas Fischlin and Anna Pirani, WG I Technical Support Unit IPCC Bureau and TSU members conferring with Lead Authors WG I Vice-Chair Gregory Flato and Elizabeth Bush, Canada Marcellin Kokou Nakpon, Benin and Kokou Sabi, Togo  

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) headquarters in Geneva Welcoming participants to IPCC-50 on Friday morning, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee noted that the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) is the first report produced by all three IPCC Working Groups (WGs) and the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories (TFI), with an integrated policy-relevant approach addressing all three UN Rio conventions. Elena Manaenkova, WMO Deputy Secretary-General, emphasized the importance of the SRCCL for WMO’s core work given its recent strategic decision to move fully towards an integrated “Earth system” approach. Via video message, UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen noted that the SRCCL report is timely and underscored the need to translate science to action toward restoring “our degraded planet.” Florian Vladu, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, said the SRCCL will guide policymakers and practitioners on enabling the best adaptation and mitigation response measures, and said continuing collaboration between the Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical Advice (SBSTA) and the IPCC at the science-policy interface is effective in enhancing the flow of science into the UNFCCC. Marc Chardonnens, Director, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, cautioned against attempting to negotiate science or seeking to discredit IPCC reports and engaging in “selective amnesia,” saying that “we cannot play with the facts.” The Panel adopted the agenda, with additions on cooperation with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and on progress on the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Synthesis Report (SYR) to the agenda item on Any Other Business. Adoption of the report of IPCC-49 was postponed pending informal consultations. The IPCC also took note of the report of the Task Group on the Organization of the Future Work of the IPCC in Light of the Global Stocktake under the UNFCCC. IPCC-50 was then suspended until Tuesday, 6 August. The second Joint Session of WGs I, II and III, in cooperation with the TFI, then convened to begin consideration of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the SRCCL. Following an overview of the SPM’s approval process, participants discussed the Introduction, which addresses the origins and structure of the SRCCL and includes a number of footnotes that explain the use of terms in the SRCCL. Participants then began discussions on Section A on ‘People, land and climate in a changing world.’ A reception hosted by the Government of Switzerland was held in the evening for participants. Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page WG I Vice-Chair, Edvin Aldrian, with the Indonesian delegation IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee Elena Manaenkova, Deputy Secretary-General, WMO Jian Liu, UNEP Chief Scientist Florin Vladu, UNFCCC Secretariat Members of the Chinese delegation before the opening of the session Marc Chardonnens, Director, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment Sophie Schlingemann, Legal and Liaison Officer, IPCC Secretariat A video message by Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme, was played during the opening session. José Romero, Switzerland Andrew Ferrone, Luxembourg Éric Brun, Co-Chair of the Task Group on the Organization of the Future Work of the IPCC in Light of the Global Stocktake under the UNFCCC, France Andrew Ferrone, Luxembourg, with Frank McGovern, Ireland Miles Perry, European Union, with María Amparo Martínez Arroyo, Mexico From L-R: WG II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Pörtner, Germany; WG I Co-Chair Panmao Zhai, China; and WG II Vice-Chair Taha Zatari, Saudi Arabia IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, with IPCC Secretary Abdalah Mokssit IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, with WG II Vice-Chair Taha Zatari, Saudi Arabia WG III Vice-Chair Nagmeldin Mahmoud, Sudan, and WG III Vice-Chair Mark Howden, Australia Farhan Akhtar, US WG I Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte, France WG III Co-Chair Jim Skea, UK, and Katie Kissick, IPCC WG III Technical Support Unit (TSU) Artur Runge-Metzger, European Union, conversing with IPCC Bureau and TSU members Philip Blackwell and Frank McGovern, Ireland Model of a Meteor-2 weather observation satellite in the WMO headquarters  

Highlights for Friday, 26 July 2019 Family photo of delegates at the end of the 2nd Part of ISA-25 On Friday, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) finalized considerations of its agenda for its 25th session, adopting a set of guidelines for observer status of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the Authority. Many delegates hailed the adoption, stressing that the adopted guidelines are “modern and fit-for-purpose.” Others stressed that the process is evolutionary in nature and has to remain flexible to take into account future considerations, including a request for a legal opinion on whether there is a conflict of interest in the event that an application for observer status is formulated by a person accredited in a sitting delegation. The Assembly further addressed cooperation with other organizations; decided on the dates of its next session; addressed other matters, including changes in the staff regulations; and heard brief closing statements. Highlights of the day include the: adoption of the guidelines for observer status of NGOs with the ISA; and signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources of China on the establishment of a joint training and research center. Many delegates expressed their satisfaction with the meeting’s results and emphasized the crucial role and achievements of the Authority. They also lauded the cordial atmosphere under which the negotiations took place. President Johnson Smith gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from the 2nd Part of ISA-25. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary and analysis from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, gaveled the meeting to a close at 12:05pm Malgorzata Wasilewska, European Union (EU) Barbara Haley, Guyana Pauline Mcharo and John Waita, Kenya Stella Anukam, Nigeria Teue Baikarawa, Kiribati The dais during Friday’s proceedings Godfrey Rolle, the Bahamas Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, Deputy to the Secretary-General and ISA Legal Counsel Faatasi Malologa, Tuvalu Aletta Mondré, Kiel University, on behalf of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Rebecca Newsum, Greenpeace International Philomène Verlaan, International Marine Minerals Society (IMMS) Marcia Gilbert-Roberts, Jamaica, and Marzia Rovere, Italy Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil María Teresa Infante, Chile, and Secretary-General Michael Lodge Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President, and Guy Sevrin, Belgium Around the Venue Tian Qi, China, and ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge Delegates from Kiribati and Kenya Delegates from China and Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President Delegates taking a selfie at the end of the meeting Marzia Rovere, Italy, reviewing the IISD Reporting Services website L-R: Jason Dixon, Geraldine Geddes, Lestine Rose, and Lorenzo Lynch, Conference Services ISA souvenirs outside the plenary room The ENB team at the 2nd Part of ISA-25 (L-R) Tasha Goldberg, US; Asterios Tsioumanis, Greece; Nancy Williams, US; Tallash Kantai, Kenya/Uganda; Wang Yan, China; and Diego Noguera, Colombia