19 April 2013: The fourteenth session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA 14) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) was held from 15-19 April 2013, at FAO headquarters, in Rome, Italy, and marked the Commission's 30th anniversary.
18 April 2013: Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) members participated in two informal forest dialogues with China, both of which were held in Douala, Cameroon. Since 2007-2008, CBFP members have engaged in informal dialogues with Chinese actors on sustainable forest management (SFM) and issues such as certification, timber traceability and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan of the European Union. The two recent dialogues aimed to improve forest governance, reduce poverty and more sustainably manage forest resources.
12 April 2013: The 3rd Meeting of Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), held in Szarvas, Hungary, adopted a new Action Plan for the period 2012-2016.
March 2013: The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) February-March newsletter features an editorial by Bradnee Chambers, the new CMS Executive Secretary, on the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).
16 April 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that it has signed a bilateral agreement with the Government of the Russian Federation, covering priority environmental areas including: biodiversity conservation; the environmental aspects of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics; and environmental challenges facing the Arctic.
April 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released the latest edition of its Infosylva newsletter. It features upcoming events and news items related to both FAO and forests, including a new FAO publication on guidelines for developing national forest financing strategies.
15 April 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a project in coordination with the Angolan Ministry of Environment, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the European Union (EU), to protect the 1.5 million hectare Iona National Park. The US$10 million project also aims to assess the size and dynamics of plant and animal populations, and enforce anti-poaching efforts, making Iona a model national park.
15 April 2013: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Business Coalition (TEEB for Business) has released a report on environmental externalities of businesses, titled "Natural Capital at Risk – The Top 100 Externalities of Business.” The report concludes that the top 100 environmental externalities cost the world economy approximately US$7.3 trillion annually, around 13% of global economic output.
12 April 2013: At its eighth session, the Committee on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM 8) approved two revised International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) on pest risk analysis for quarantine pests and on the regulation of wood packaging material. The Committee also considered the way forward on developing ISPMs on sea containers and on international shipments of grain.
8 April 2013: The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) agreed on a campaign to be launched later this year calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
