NGOs

Highlights for Saturday, 22 February 2020 © Kazakhstan/CADI The Committee of the Whole (CoW) of the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CMS COP13) resumed Saturday morning to approve the remaining conference room papers and forward them to the COP for adoption. The COP opened in the afternoon and adopted by consensus all resolutions, decisions, and amendments to the appendices forwarded from the CoW. The CoP also adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration, which affirms that maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity is one of the top priorities for CMS, and calls for ecological connectivity and the important role of CMS to be effectively reflected in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary, CMS, thanked Fernando Spina and Øystein Størkersen for their work in chairing the Scientific Council and the Standing Committee, respectively. Regional groups then presented their nominations for the Standing Committee and Scientific Council, which were accepted by the COP. In her closing remarks, South Africa lamented the loss of migratory species predicted to go extinct if no urgent action is taken. She recognized the importance of listing species under the appendices to avert extinction and asked parties to step up efforts to implement the Convention. France announced it would make a voluntary contribution to a project linking connectivity of migratory species and ecosystem resilience. The EU highlighted progress made during this COP. She underscored the escalating threats facing biodiversity, and that listings of species in CMS’ appendices should not be celebrated but rather catalyze greater action to protect them. She also noted that the greatest successes are achieved together through cooperation. Finally, she called on parties with contributions in arrears to make their due payments. Fraenkel highlighted that CMS COP13 was the largest ever in the history of the Convention, with 2,550 people attending including 263 delegates representing 82 Parties, 11 delegates from five non-Party countries, 50 representatives from UN agencies, 70 representatives of international NGOs, 127 representatives of national NGOs, and over 100 members of both national and international media. She underscored that ten new species were added to CMS Appendices at COP13, including seven to Appendix I: the Asian Elephant, Jaguar, Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican, Little Bustard, Antipodean Albatross and the Oceanic White-tip Shark. The COP was gavelled to a close at 5:18 pm. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and producde a summary and analysis report from CMS COP13 which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page The CoW proceeds on the final day of the COP Ariuntuya Dorjisuren, Mongolia Richard Thompson, United Kingdom François Lamarque, France Anna Gureva, Malta Sue Lieberman, Wildlife Conservation Society; Jose Palazzo and Igor Barbosa, Brazil Narelle Montgomery, Australia Holly Mennell, UK; and Jan Brojac, Czech Republic Anne Burrill, Gilles River and Ivana Jelenic, the EU Marco Barbieri, CMS Secretariat, consulting with Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary Delegates huddle during a coffee break Igor Barbosa, Brazil Gilles River, the EU View of the dais Shohel Rana, Bangladesh Fernando Spina and Øystein Størkersen were recognized for their work chairing the Scientific Council and the Standing Committee, respectively. Delegates applauding the adoption of the outcome document Vice-Chair of COP Babul Supriyo giving the closing remarks COP Chair Soumitra Dasgupta gavels the meeting to a close. CoW Chair Akankwasah Barirega, Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary, and COP Chair Soumitra Dasgupta pose for a family photo with members of the CMS Secretariat. Around the Venue Indian conference staff pose for a family photo

Highlights for Saturday, 15 February 2020 Family photo at the end of the Stakeholder Dialogue Member states, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations convened in the afternoon for a Stakeholder Dialogue on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, part of a series of events held prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13).Soumitra Dasgupta, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, India, welcomed participants and highlighted that India’s commitment to protecting wildlife is ingrained in its constitution. He noted the importance of community partnerships for wildlife conservation, emphasizing that he has seen former poachers transformed into "ardent protectors" of wildlife. Jochen Flasbarth, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, emphasized that CMS can act as an ambassador for multilateralism, since it is easy to understand why collaboration between states is required to protect migratory species.Sue Lieberman, Wildlife Conservation Society, stressed the importance of CMS COP13 in raising the visibility of migratory species issues at the fifteenth meeting of Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) in 2020 in Kunming, China, which will adopt a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary, reviewed CMS’ engagement in the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, stressing the “once in a decade opportunity” that CBD COP15 presents to fill gaps in the global biodiversity agenda. Nicola Crockford, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, highlighted the crucial role of NGOs and civil society across the international and national level. Ward Hagemeijerm, Wetlands International, expressed concern at the lack of public attention awarded to biodiversity, fearing that people take it for granted, remaining oblivious to how we depend on it and are impacted by its loss. The panel then engaged in a discussion with the audience. Sonali Ghosh, Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, India, introduced the open discussion which explored how: sea turtle conservation work undertaken by communities can be enhanced under CMS, including through the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and their Habitats of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asia; women's contributions to the conservation of the greater adjutant stork could be leveraged with an inter-jurisdictional action plan; and awareness raising on the role of migratory species such as the amur falcon in other countries around the globe can support local conservation efforts through behavioural change. In closing the Stakeholder Dialogue, Sue Lieberman emphasized how conservation of migratory species is about connectivity; connecting people and connecting wildlife, as well as engaging with local communities and governments.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 Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and producde a summary and analysis report from CMS COP13 which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Stakeholder Dialogue A view of the dais at the Stakeholder Dialogue Jochen Flasbarth, Germany Soumitra Dasgupta, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, India Purnima Barman, Aaranyak Supraja Dharini, Tree Foundation India Sue Lieberman, Wildlife Conservation Society Amy Fraenkel, CMS Executive Secretary Nicola Crockford, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Participants during the Stakeholder Dialogue Bano Haralu, Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Trust Sudhir Moorti, Deccan Birders Sonali Ghosh, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, India Ward Hagemeijer, Wetlands International Manas Manjrekar, Mangrove Foundation Tsewang Namgail, Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust Delegates from India huddle after the Stakeholder Dialogue. Around the Venue