News and Updates

Biodiversity ECO produced at UNFCCC

CBD Alliance — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:44:01 +0000

Produced and circulated today in Copenhagen. Inside: What the CBD has to offer the Climate negotiations, REDD, Indigenous Rights and Climate Change, and Technology issues. See Here.

Photo montage by Stig - http://www.shtig.net/

Closing Statement - ABS 8, Montreal 15 November

CBD Alliance — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:29:37 +0000

By Third World Network on behalf of Civil Society Organizations

Thank you, Co-Chairs. I speak on behalf of the Civil Society Organisations present at this meeting.

We strongly reiterate our key positions on the fundamental aspects of the final outcome of the negotiations mandated to this Working Group.

On nature, we fully support a legally binding single instrument and look forward to Parties adopting a Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Read the rest

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CBD Alliance — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:27:04 +0000

Buttons supporting a strong and enforceable protocol. Photo courtesy of IISD reporting.

ECO - 14 Nov 2009

CBD Alliance — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:18:59 +0000

Saturday ECO: STRONG NATURE, Agricultural Biodiversity, Intellectual Property, Non-coerced PIC, Lessons from Gold Mining, Report from Barcelona.

Here it is.

Also, check out a report from Fiu Elisera, recently in Barcelona for Climate talks.

ECO - 13 Nov 2009

CBD Alliance — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:18:18 +0000

Study finds pirating of African Heritage; The Two Row Wampum Treaty and the International Regime; The relevance of UNDRIPs in the CBD processes - Canada needs to uphold its' legal obligations; No narrowing of the definition of Traditional Knowledge

Read it here.

New ECO - Wednesday Nov 11

CBD Alliance — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:21:49 +0000

Read it here.

Civil Society statements - 9th and 10th November

CBD Alliance — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:43:07 +0000

Mr. Co-Chairs, dear Party delegates, Since the first session of the Working Group on ABS in 2001 in Bonn, the NGOs working in these ABS negotiations are deeply convinced that a meaningful and effective implementation of Art. 15 and 8j and other related articles of the CBD can only be reached through an international legally binding instrument. The NGOs present at this meting continue to remind you that voluntary agreements like the Bonn Guidelines have failed to protect and enforce the rights of provider countries and the various providers as well as to establish compliance mechanisms in user countries. This can only be achieved through a comprehensive International Regime on ABS that needs to be a Protocol to the CBD.

ECOs up and announcing [square brackets]

CBD Alliance — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:24:08 +0000

The first ECO for the opening day of the 8th Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources is available here. It opens with an article from an NGO based in Japan, the host of COP 10, where they present some evidence that the Bonn Guidelines are not enough to ensure proper benefit sharing. Also inside: views from some NGOs proposing a 'commons' approach to traditional knowledge, and on ABS in protected areas.

An ECO from last week's Working Group on 8j is also available for your reading pleasure, here.

Also, announcing the 2nd edition of [square brackets], the joint newsletter with the Secretariat to the CBD. It has some great articles and a nifty exchange section where some of our civil society and Indigenous experts answer 5 key questions about the upcoming negotiations. Check it out here.

ABS preparatory meetings this weekend

CBD Alliance — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:04:38 +0000

CBD Alliance welcomes all civil society to the following ABS preparatory meetings this weekend, in Montreal:

Saturday 7 November - 4 pm in the NGO meeting room, 5th Floor ICAO Building

This will be followed by a meeting with the co-chairs of the ABS working group (Timothy Hodges and Fernando Casas) at 5 pm.

Sunday 8 November 2009 - 9am to 5pm - NGO meeting room, 5th Floor ICAO Building

You will need to be registered and accredited to enter the ICAO building. Please leave yourself plenty of time to register so you can make the meetings on time.

Please contact Miriam Anne Frank, who is on-site for more information: reachmiriam@earthlink.net

Article 8j negotiations this week...

CBD Alliance — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:00:22 +0000

The sixth meeting of the Ad hoc Open-ended Intersessional Working Group on Article 8(j) is happening now, in Montreal.

Follow statements made by the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity here.

You can also receive summaries from ENB, located here.

Keep watching this site, the ECO will be produced later in the week, and during next weeks ABS negotiations in Montreal.