Background

The last quarter of 2022 was marked by an intense period of international engagement on environment and climate action, with critical negotiations, and the convening of meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to multilateral environmental agreements, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP19), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 27), United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) and most recently in March 2023, the adoption of the Ocean Treaty after a decade of negotiations. The Africa Union Commission (AUC) played a significant role by coordinating and supporting African Union Member States in their preparation for and participation in many of these meetings. These meetings delivered outcomes that will have significant impact on the conservation agenda of the AU Member States in the years to come.

CITES CoP19 in Panama, for example, made steady progress in its efforts to tackle the global biodiversity challenge. It adopted a series of landmark decisions to regulate trade in a number of commercially important wild species, including commercially important timber and marine species, and made important progress in tackling the illegal trade in some of the world's critically endangered species, including big cats, elephants, rhinos, ebonies, rosewoods and marine turtles. Decisions were also made to address strategic cross-cutting issues such as links with zoonotic diseases, engagement with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), as well as pathways to maximize the benefits these communities derive from legal and sustainable trade in wild species for their livelihoods.

At CBD CoP15 in Montreal, countries finally agreed upon a landmark Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), that sets the global conservation agenda for the next decade spanning all biodiversity related conventions. The Kunming-Montreal Agreement includes the 23 Targets aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, ensuring that biodiversity is sustainably used and managed, and nature’s contributions to people are valued, maintained and enhanced, supporting sustainable development for the benefit of future generations.

Strategically important, the African group managed to emphasize in the GBF, the topic of Access & Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and the establishment of a multilateral benefit-sharing system for Digital Sequence Information (DSI) including new funds for biodiversity conservation. Wide commitments were also made to substantially increase financial resources mobilization of at least USD$200 billion per year from all sources by 2030, though securing resources for the effective implementation of the Framework. Closely related, is the recently agreed Oceans Treaty which aims to help place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030 to safeguard and recuperate marine nature. These decisions have significant relevance to efforts being undertaken by AU Member States to meet their global biodiversity commitments. The AUC, in collaboration with the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), CARICOM from the Caribbean and SPREP from the Pacific are keen to support member states in their effort to effectively implement the outcomes of the CITES and CBD COPs as well as the Oceans Treaty. To this end, a conference will be held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 30 May - 2nd June 2023.

The objectives of the conference are to:

1. To review the outcomes of CITES CoP19, CBD CoP15 and Ocean Treaty and identify cross-cutting strategic issues that emerged among them including those related to issues such as IPLC engagement, livelihoods, sustainable use, zoonotic diseases and one health approach).
2. Identify priority actions that need follow-up from Member States potential gaps and problems in implementation that need to be addressed
3. Identify support needed for effective implementation and Identify the coordination and collaboration mechanisms necessary to effectively implement the action plan
4. Develop an action plan that can support and drive the effective implementation of the key commitments and decisions made, including actions to ensure adequate capacity building and resource mobilization from both public and private sectors.
5. Ensure alignment, synergies and complementarity in financing, developing and implementing of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) as the national instruments to implement the GBF

The conference will be an in-person meeting and is aimed at the CBD and CITES Focal Point Persons responsible for implementation of the two Conventions in the Member States. The conference will consist of plenary sessions, separate sessions held in parallel for the CITES and CBD focal points specifically and break out groups/ contact groups. Relevant expert organizations will also be invited to provide technical support and advice at the workshop, including the Secretariats of CBD, CITES, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), TRAFFIC, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative, Convention on Migratory Species and the World Wildlife Fund among others.

Documents

Concept note and provisional agenda

Information note