European Union

Highlights for Friday, 30 August 2019 Working Group Co-Chairs Francis Ogwal, Uganda, and Basile van Havre, Canada, gavel the meeting to a close at 7:43 pm. The first meeting of the Working Group on Post-2020 resumed for its final day of deliberations on Friday. Delegates completed discussions on the conclusions of the meeting based on a Co-Chairs’ draft that included annexes on the outcomes of the meeting, and a preliminary list of intersessional meetings relevant for the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF).During lunch, participants attended an information session on global strategic plans and linkages with other international instruments and processes. Neville Ash, Director, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), presented an overview of strategic plans and indicators across multilateral environmental agreements, and highlighted options for synergies and alignment with the GBF. Participants also heard from: Ludgarde Coppens, UNEP, on 26 indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and efforts to build data-related methodology and capacity at national and regional levels; Elizabeth Mrema, on behalf of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), on its Strategic Vision 2021-2030 that promotes transformative change and sustainable use; Olivier Rukundo, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), on cooperation with the Convention in supporting states in access and benefit-sharing; and Frederic Perron-Welch, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, on biotrade, including incentive measures, private sector engagement, and sustainable use. During the closing session, Christiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary, remarked on the good energy in the room and great amount of work done, noting the need to respond to the calls for action from the public on biodiversity issues. Providing regional statements: The African Group urged that the GBF ensure regional and thematic balance; Asia and Pacific said the 2050 Vision “living in harmony with nature” has played an important role in galvanizing action and should remain prominent; The EU welcomed the broad understanding of the need for transformative change, and using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Result-Oriented, and Time-limited (SMART) targets; The Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) emphasized using science to identify causes and solutions and to seek co-benefits; and Central and Eastern Europe stressed the need for active participation of all parties and stakeholders to ensure well-formulated goals and targets. The meeting was gaveled to a close at 7:43 pm.The final day of the meeting saw delegates continuing to get their heads around their four days of labor based on draft conclusions of the meeting. The meeting, some agreed, has been a week of patience, as delegates put their negotiator’s hats down in favor of what some referred to as “a listening exercise.” One element that many agreed remains uncertain is whether to have an over-arching apex target. In spite of an almost equal number of proponents and opponents for this, most agreed that it would require a stroke of genius to come up with one target that is adequately inspiring, global, and encapsulates the complexity of the 2050 Vision of “living in harmony with nature.” Before parting, one delegate remarked, “Although it all seems rather topsy-turvy right now, once we are done packaging the zero draft, it will all come together pretty nicely.” IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from the 1st Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report 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 Delegates during the morning discussions on the potential elements and scope of the framework Dilovarsho Dustov, Tajikistan Norbert Bärlocher, Switzerland Georgina Catacora-Vargas, Bolivia Hesiquio Benítez Díaz, Mexico L-R: Stig Johansson and Stefan Leiner, EU; Alexander Shestakov, CBD Secretariat; and Gabriele Obermayr, Austria Carolina Díaz, Colombia Joaquín Salzberg, Argentina Wadzanayi Patience Mandivenyi, South Africa Gaute Voigt-Hanssen, Norway Luciana Melchert, Brazil A group of Friends of the Chair meets during plenary David Cooper, CBD Secretariat Tia Stevens, Australia Musonda Mumba, UNEP María Alejandra Guerra, Chile CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Pașca Palmer Delegates during Friday’s proceedings L-R: Musonda Mumba, UNEP; Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ghana; Alex Owusu-Biney, UNEP; Doris Richter and Eric Okoree, Ghana Ludgarde Coppens (left), UNEP, addresses participants during the lunch event on Global Strategic Plans in other National Instruments and Processes L-R: Working Group Co-Chairs Basile van Havre, Canada; Francis Ogwal, Uganda; CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Pașca Palmer; Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, David Cooper, and Catalina Santamaría, CBD Secretariat L-R: Janice Weatherley-Singh and Alfred DeGemmis, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Noëlle Kümpel, BirdLife International L-R: Kimberly Chan, Canada; Brooke Hynes, Jaime Grubb, Georgina Newton, and Tia Stevens, Australia Ivan Feys, Belgium, and Neville Ash, Director, UNEP-WCMC L-R: Jamila Janna, Wildlands Conservation Trust; Yuriko Shimada, Japan Youth Biodiversity Network; and Alphonce Muia, Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa Amandine John-Herpin and Barbara Petersen, Germany Working Group Co-Chair Basile van Havre, Canada, and Abdulghani A.M. Al-Bokwali, Yemen UNEP visitors at the meeting A view of UNEP Headquarters

Highlights for Friday, 30 August 2019 Queen Angelfish from Belize, photo by Marcelo Halpern The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) came to a close on Friday, August 30, 2019. During the day, delegates engaged in a comprehensive discussion on the way forward. Several delegations welcomed the new format of the meeting, notably the informal-informals, with many calling for regular report-backs to facilitate broad participation, especially for small delegations. On this note, there were calls from several developing countries for increased contributions to the Voluntary Trust Fund to facilitate their participation at the next meeting.In her closing remarks, IGC President Rena Lee (Singapore), called on delegates to study the proposals submitted during the intersessional period in order to make further progress at IGC-4. She noted that: the revised negotiating text for IGC-4 will likely not include all the proposals submitted or discussed at IGC-3; the advanced revised text, in English only, will be issued by the end of 2019; and IGC-4 will feature more parallel sessions, and a number of stock-taking plenaries that will consider the four elements of the 2011 package as “more of a package.” In the corridors, several delegates patted themselves on the back for having gone through the major elements of the draft text on the new High Seas treaty, but acknowledged that more needs to be done to address the pressing matters that have been raised in the negotiation process. Commenting on next steps, many delegates stressed that, for IGC-4, “the Facilitators will need to craft bridging language to close the gaps in this process.”   IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC-3. The summary and analysis report is now 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. Informal Working Group View of the informal working group session L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS Carl Grainger, Ireland, Chair of the Credentials Committee Luis Ugarelli, Peru Henry Suarez, Venezuela Indira Guardia, Cuba Alina Llano, Nicaragua Gennady Kuzmin, Russian Federation Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources, including benefit-sharing Olai Uludong, Palau, Facilitator of the informal working group on capacity building and the transfer of marine technology René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on environmental impact assessments Alice Revell, New Zealand, Facilitator of the informal working group on area-based management tools, including marine protected areas L-R: Gou Haibo, China; IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore; and Evan Bloom, US L-R: Florian Botto, Monaco; Mamadou Diallo, Senegal; and Rishy Bukoree, Mauritius Asela Peneueta, Tuvalu, on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum Andreas Papaconstantinou, EU Ali Nasimfar, Iran Fuad Bateh, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Evan Bloom, US Julio Arriola, Paraguay, on behalf of Land-Locked Developing Countries Gou Haibo, China Tilani Silva, Sri Lanka Michael Kanu, Sierra Leone Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore L-R: Miguel de Serpa Soares, Secretary-General of the IGC, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, and IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, gavelled the meeting to a close at 5:17 pm. Participants from the High Seas Alliance Delegates from the European Commission Delegates from Australia Delegates from the US Delegates from the Pacific Islands Forum Delegates from the Philippines Delegates from the African Group IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, with delegates from the EU Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States Delegates from Latin American countries Delegates from China Delegates from Seychelles L-R: ENB BBNJ Team with Jennifer Bansard, Asterios Tsioumanis, Tasha Goldberg, Tallash Kantai, Katarina Hovden, and Franz Dejon

Highlights for Thursday, 29 August 2019 Representatives from civil society at the end of a peaceful demonstration about nature and people protection versus corporate interest. The first meeting of the Working Group on Post-2020 resumed discussions on Thursday, tackling the future work programme of the Working Group and allocation of tasks to other intersessional bodies and processes. Delegates called for inter alia: a balanced approach in thematic intersessional consultations; ensuring draft text is available ahead of the second meeting of the Working Group; and involvement of the UN Environment Management Group to ensure inputs from all multilateral environmental agreements. During the lunch break, delegates attended an information session focused on strategic planning. Nick Salafsky, Foundations of Success, presented the second of a two-part series on developing a shared strategic planning framework. He led participants in an interactive exercise on developing Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Result-Oriented, and Time-limited (SMART) targets, using, among other principles, the theory of change.In the afternoon and evening, a discussion group co-chaired by Charlotta Sörqvist (Sweden) and Dilosharvo Dustov (Tajikistan) met to discuss a non-paper prepared by the discussion group co-chairs on a possible structure of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). Delegates deliberated on the components of, and relationships between, the rationale, the preamble, the 2050 Vision, the 2030 mission, a possible apex goal and milestones, and goals, targets, sub-targets and indicators. Discussions focused on central questions to the structure, including, inter alia: whether the 2030 mission should express an action to be taken or a status of biodiversity to be achieved by 2030; how to express the 2030 mission in a simple manner while ensuring a balanced representation of all three pillars of the Convention; how to formulate SMART goals, indicators and targets; how to ensure that levers of transformative change are specified within the scope of the GBF; and whether an apex goal would benefit or hinder effective implementation of the GBF. With only one day left of the meeting, delegates continued to push towards a tangible outcome. One delegate remarked that we want to leave with clear guidance on the “post-2020 outcome we want” to enable us to return for the second meeting with more substance than a “to do list.” Some delegates were already eager to produce and negotiate text, and urged for ensuring that the second meeting will be furnished with comprehensive preparative documents. Many called for intersessional consultations that go beyond the subsidiary bodies of the convention, the Bureau and the Secretariat. The discussion group, some delegates noted, allowed for unpacking of details of the GBF’s scope and structure. Noting how much time was taken on targets, one delegate remarked that, “the apex target is becoming a distraction,” and that there should be more focus on implementation, which is indeed where we failed with the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage from the 1st Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report 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 Hlobsile Sikhosana, eSwatini Working Group Co-Chair Basile van Havre, Canada Marina von Weissenberg, Anne Theo Seinen, and Stefan Leiner, EU Takafumi Osawa, Japan Sonia Peña Moreno, and Jane Smart, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) L-R: Amy Fraenkel, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and Tita Korvenoja and Diane Klaimi, UNEP María Rivera, Ramsar Convention, and Katia Karousakis, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Cicilia Githaiga, Women Ken Paul, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) Abdulghani A.M. Al-Bokwali, Yemen Kevin Lunzalu, Global Youth Biodiversity Network Kenya Amy Fraenkel, Acting CMS Executive Secretary Barbara Lassen, Natural Justice Diagana Mallé, Mauritania Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, CBD Secretariat Malte Timpte, Institute for Biodiversity Network (IBN) Óscar Guevara, WWF Colombia Yemisi Fawibe, Nigeria Lactitia Tshitwamulomoni, South Africa Delegates continued work during the afternoon and evening on the potential elements and scope of the framework. Nick Salafsky, Foundations of Success, during the lunch event on Strategic Planning Frameworks - Part II Participants engage in an activity to develop a SMART target Delegates from the Arab region meet at lunch time L-R: Neville Ash, Director, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC); Aria St. Louis, Grenada; and Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ghana, share a laugh at the end of the morning session Evening informal consultations Members of the 30X30 Ocean Alliance meet outside plenary (L-R) Alfred DeGemmis, Wildlife Conservation Society; Justin Kenney, 30X30 Ocean Alliance; Masha Kalinina, Pew Charitable Trusts; Lina Barrera, Conservation International; and Michael Degnan, Campaign for Nature L-R: Brian O’Donnell and Raina Thiele, Campaign for Nature, and Holly Jonas, ICCA Consortium Civil society asked parties “Who do you listen to: Nature & people or corporate interest?”

Highlights for Thursday, 29 August 2019 Parrotfish from Mexico, photo by Marcelo Halpern The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) met throughout the day and into the evening in an informal working group setting to address environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and cross-cutting issues. Delegates also met briefly in an “informal-informal” to consider marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing.Thursday saw the end of the informal-informals, and comprehensive, prolonged discussions on the remaining issues in the draft text of a future international legally binding instrument.Highlights of the day included, inter alia: Discussions in the informal working group on cross-cutting issues, notably related to institutional arrangements, and dispute-settlement; and Discussions in the informal working group on EIAs, touching on the content of EIA reports, their publication, and consideration and review. In the corridors, one weary delegate wondered “why didn’t we put in more hours during the first week when everyone was still fresh and in good spirits,” referring to the final push to try to complete all the work related to the draft text. Looking ahead, Friday promises an important discussion on the way forward, with some delegates confiding “we are not sure we can see the light at the end of this tunnel to a High Seas agreement just yet.”For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC-3. The summary and analysis report is now 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. Informal Working Group René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on EIAs L-R: René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on EIAs; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); and Michele Ameri, UNDOALOS Hala Khalil, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China Wini Broadbelt, EU Ayodhia Kalake, Indonesia Maria Pia Benosa, the Philippines Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan Therese Simpson Johansen, Norway Alain De Comarmond, Seychelles Elizabeth Kim, US Cyrill Martin, Switzerland Janice Mose, Solomon Islands, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) L-R: Justin Whyatt, Australia, with Heath Synnott, Australia L-R: Yocasta Valenzuela, Dominican Republic, in consultation with Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria Duncan Currie, High Seas Alliance Yordanka Stoimenova, Canada Lionel Yee, Singapore Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Kahlil Hassanali, Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Carlos Mata, Uruguay, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Huang Yingni, China Sira Swangsilpa, Thailand Heath Synnott, Australia Kukhyun Ahn, Republic of Korea Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland Roderick Harte, EU L-R: Miguel de Serpa Soares, Secretary-General of the IGC, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel; IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, and Facilitator of the informal working group on cross-cutting issues; and Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS Tom Diederen, EU Luke Roughton, New Zealand Diedre Mills, Jamaica, on behalf of CARICOM Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of P-SIDS Alejandro Celorio, Mexico, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Matthías Pálsson, Iceland L-R: Alice de Juvigny and Kent Bressie, International Cable Protection Committee L-R: Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki and Alice Vadrot, University of Vienna Delegates from the Maldives in conversation with delegates from Australia L-R: Florian Botto, Monaco, with Leonito Bacalando Jr., Federated States of Micronesia

Highlights for Wednesday, 28 August 2019 CITES CoP 18 Chair Thomas Jemmi, Switzerland, gavels CITES CoP18 to a close. CITES CoP18 delegates reconvened in plenary on Wednesday 28 August 2019 to adopt remaining proposals, including the listing of Mako sharks, wedgefishes, guitarfishes and sea cucumbers (teatfish) on Appendix II, all of which were formally adopted without reopening of debate.In their closing remarks, several observers praised the CoP for its “collegial spirit” and for adopting decisions that will strengthen global wildlife conservation, while others expressed concern that diverging views on conservation and sustainable use had been inadequately reconciled, highlighting the deepening divisions within the African region.Many parties commended CoP18 for its work, and looked forward to playing their respective roles in implementing the new listings. Japan, Tanzania, and several NGOs stressed that listings should be science-based. Tanzania, on behalf of Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, argued that the Convention is not aligned with other international agreements and is working in contradiction to principles of national sovereignty, inclusive and equitable development, and the rights of local communities living with wildlife to use those resources.Japan noted that appropriate trade in wildlife can contribute to conservation, and urged parties to undertake wildlife conservation and community development in an integrated way to support custodians in range states. He called for CITES to take a holistic approach and cooperate with other biodiversity conventions.China expressed its support for the Convention and its increased prioritization of conservation objectives, noting that his country is “on the road towards eco-civilization.” The EU and US also expressed full support, and the US recalled that CITES was created to ensure that trade does not negatively impact the survival of wild species. Mauritania called for “better listings, not more listings.”Secretary-General Higuero closed by highlighting accomplishments from CoP18, noting that “this 45-year-old Convention is now on a stronger path” with the collaborative work on the CITES Strategic Vision, to ensure CITES is a leader in transformative change into the future and that it aligns with the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development. She noted the collaborative discussion from over 100 parties about how CITES might better engage indigenous peoples and local communities, and ensure they benefit from trade and conservation, as CITES will struggle to succeed without them. She drew attention to CITES’ increased capacity to fight illegal trade in wildlife, especially as a lot of this trade moves online, noting, as highlights, the strengthened enforcement through International Consortium for Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), and the newly created Big Cats task force.Higuero said that Appendix II listings show that parties increasingly rely on the Convention as “a vital safety net”, most notably for marine and timber species. She reminded the CoP that reptiles, birds, and smaller animals are vital for the survival of life on earth and need just as much attention from the Convention as megafauna.In closing, Higuero noted that CITES provides a space for common goals towards sustainable development and the longtime survival of the world’s endangered species.Chair Jemmi hailed the achievements of parties, noting that in most cases the decisions were agreed by consensus. He thanked all participants for their passion and commitment and closed the Conference at 11:30 am.Please return to this site on Saturday, 31 August for the ENB summary and analysis report. 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. Closing Plenary Delegates gather for the closing plenary. CITES CoP18 Chair Thomas Jemmi, Switzerland CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero Jose Manuel Mateo Feliz, Dominican Republic Committee I Chair Rod Hay, New Zealand Augustin Ngumbi Amuri, Democratic Republic of the Congo Rosemarie Gnam, US Shara Duncan-Villalobos, Costa Rica, announces that CoP19 will be held in Costa Rica in 2022. Delegates applaud the work done at CoP18. Closing Statements Will Travers, Survival Species Network (SSN) Susan Lieberman, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Koikai Oloitiptip, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust Margaret Kinnaird, WWF Heather Noonan, League of American Orchestras Josef Schmuck, Document Center for Species Protection M.G.C. Sooriyabandara, Sri Lanka Jessica Maria Gálvez-Durand Besnard, Peru Zhimin Wu, China Elisante Ombeni Leguma, Tanzania, speaking on behalf of SADC Joshua Wycliffe, Fiji Abba Sonko, Senegal Ali Mansoor Abbas Abdullah, Bahrain Germán Proffen and Vanesa Tossenberger, Argentina CITES CoP 18 Chair Thomas Jemmi, Switzerland, gavels the meeting to a close. Around the Venue Family photo of the CITES Secretariat. Delegates from the Netherlands. Delegates from Nepal. Delegates from the Humane Society International. CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero Melanie Virtue, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), and Ralf Sonntag, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Family photo of the UN Rapporteurs. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering CITES CoP18: Mandy Rude, US; Tanya Rosen, Kyrgyzstan; Delia Paul, Australia/Malaysia; Brianna Botchwey, Canada/Ghana; and Kiara Worth, South Africa.