15 May 2013: A partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and Slow Food has been established to focus on joint advocacy campaigns strengthening local, regional and global networks and raise awareness of the International Year of Family Farming in 2014.
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14 May 2013: At the 2013 World Customs Organization (WCO) IT Conference & Exhibition, John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), highlighted cooperation with the WCO on intercepting illegal wildlife trade.
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13 May 2013: The project titled 'Ridge to Reef – Community to Catchment', which is funded by the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) 'Implementing Sustainable Water Resources and Wastewater Management in Pacific Island Countries' project (GEF Pacific IWRM Project), has reported improved national coordination in the water and sanitation sectors and enhanced community involvement in water resource management in the Pohnpei and Chuuk states, part of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).
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12 May 2013: This year's celebrations for World Migratory Bird Day 2013, held 11-12 May, highlighted the importance of ecological networks for the survival of migratory birds, the important human networks dedicated to their conservation, the threats migratory birds face, and the need to strengthen international cooperation to conserve them.
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9 May 2013: Faced with a new lethal disease, Bogia syndrome, which affects coconut palms, other palm species and some banana varieties, Bioversity International, a member of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), is working with a coconut genebank in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, to fight the disease and to re-locate a coconut genebank.
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7 May 2013: As a contribution to the 2013 World Migratory Bird Day (11-12 May), the sixth issue of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) thematic fact sheet series focuses on migratory species and desertification. The publication notes the efforts of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) and the UNCCD to conserve migratory wildlife and to improve the conditions of ecosystems that support such species and are affected by land degradation.
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1 May 2013: As an element of a joint project between the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), representatives from Azerbaijan and Georgia convened to negotiate elements of a draft agreement on the sustainable management of the Kura River basin.
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The International Expert and Stakeholder Workshop on the Contribution of Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems to IPBES: Building Synergies with Science will be convened by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Multidisciplinary Expert Panel and hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Japan. It is being co-organised by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN University (UNU). The objectives of the workshop are to examine and identify procedures and approaches for working with indigenous and local knowledge systems in the framework of IPBES; and to review and assess possible conceptual frameworks for the work of IPBES that are based on or accommodate indigenous and local knowledge systems and worldviews. The workshop is part of the on-going intersessional process leading up to the second session of the Platform's Plenary (IPBES-2), where the outcomes of this workshop will be presented for further consideration.
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The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will hold the first 'Full Members of the Platform (MEP) and Bureau meeting' to implement Decision IPBES/1/2 on next steps for the development of the initial IPBES work programme, as requested by the IPBES Plenary at its first session. The meeting will be hosted by the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management.
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CITES at 40 Marks a Major Decision Point for Sharks, Trees, Snakes, Turtles and other Wildlife Species: Guidelines, toolkits, standards and action plans fostering capacity, financing, law enforcement, livelihoods, science, sustainability, traceability and synergies also adopted
The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP16) held March 2013 in Bangkok, will be remembered as a defining moment in the 40 year history of the Convention.
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