Latin American and Caribbean Group

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 Monday, 22 July 2019 Kamina Johnson Smith (center), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica, is elected as the new Assembly President On Monday, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) started its deliberations of the 25th annual session in Kingston, Jamaica. Throughout the day, the Assembly addressed organizational matters; elected its President, Vice Presidents, and a member for the Finance Committee filling a relevant vacancy; considered requests for observer status from four entities; discussed the development of guidelines for observer status requests; heard the report of the ISA25 Council President; and introduced the discussion on the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2019-2023. A side event, organized by the Authority and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), discussed the progress report on the implementation of the Abyssal Initiative Project.Highlights of the day include the: election of Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica, as Assembly President for the 25th Session; an introduction to the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2019-2023, including a high-level action plan and performance indicators; and a lengthy discussion in plenary and in informal discussions on draft guidelines for granting observer status to NGOs to ISA, with many delegates finding the original version of the guidelines overly restrictive. The discussion on the draft guidelines on observer status revealed interesting opinions among the delegates, including on the differences between the Authority and organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These delegates noted that the Authority has “a higher moral role” compared to an organization solely regulating an industrial sector, like the IMO, listing all its social and economic considerations. Concerns were also tabled regarding provisions in the draft guidelines addressing the periodic review of the list of NGOs, potential conflicts of interest, exclusion of the common heritage regime as well as provisions that require organizations to, inter alia: “reasonably demonstrate” their interest; prove that their purposes are directly related to those of the ISA; demonstrate their expertise and capacity to contribute to the Authority’s work as well as support ISA’s activities; and have objectives and function “in consonance” with those of the Authority. For more details on the day’s events and to hear what delegates said in the breezeways, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). 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 L-R: Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, ISA Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General; Michael Lodge, ISA Secretary-General; Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, outgoing Assembly President; Cai Yongsheng and Talatu Akindolire, ISA Secretariat, during a moment of silence. Mariusz Orion Jędrysek, outgoing Assembly President Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Brazil Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President Pavel Kavina, Czech Republic Guy Sevrin, Belgium Marzia Rovere, Italy Gina Guillén Grillo, Costa Rica Tevita Suka Mangisi, Tonga, and Franck Kokou Kpayedo, Togo Li Linlin, China Tom Diederen, the Netherlands Urs Daniel Engels and Bernd von Münchow-Pohl, Germany Lowri Mai Griffiths, UK Diva Amon, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) Lenin Naranjo, Ecuador (center) Hau Do Suan, Myanmar Sandor Mulsow, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (TBA21) M. Burhanudin Borut, Indonesia Lumka Yengeni, Council President for the 25th Session Franck Kokou Kpayedo, Laré Penn, and John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo Michelle Walker, Jamaica, with Marcello Iocca and Marzia Rovere, Italy Delegates from Nigeria in discussion during a break in the session Observers during the afternoon session ISA Secretary-General Michael Lodge (second left) with participants holding up signs related to SDG 14, which concerns the ocean. The delegation from the Russian Federation The delegation from Ecuador with Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President (center) The delegation from the Republic of Korea Members of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) with Kamina Johnson Smith, Assembly President (center) The delegation from Saudi Arabia A Greenpeace ship visits Kingston