22 May 2012: The latest edition of "Event Spotlight," released by the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), focuses on progress made on island issues at the 16th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 16). The newsletter includes articles on a meeting with the new CBD Executive Secretary, and an Island Summit planning meeting.
Launched by the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) in 2003, the triennial Mesoamerican Congress of Protected Areas brings together experts from Mexico and the eight Central American Integration System (SICA) countries (Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama) and interested regional and international actors to dialogue, share experiences and propose initiatives involving protected areas, including marine protected areas, and their role in sustainable development. The IV Congress, organized by Costa Rica's National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) with CCAD support, is expected to discuss, inter alia: governance; research within protected areas and access to biodiversity; protected areas and climate change; protected areas as social and economic instruments; and regional cooperation.
24 May 2012: In testimony delivered before the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate, John Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), highlighted that illegal trade in wildlife is happening at a scale that poses an immediate risk to both wildlife and people.
24 May 2012: The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has released four briefing notes describing its contributions to implementing outcomes on biodiversity and ecosystem services under Agenda 21, the Rio Conventions and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). The notes further offer ways for UNEP-WCMC to contribute to the development and delivery of the outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
24 May 2012: The EU Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik presented the European Business Awards for the Environment 2012 to winners who have made achievements in sustainable development in the areas of management, products and process innovation, international business cooperation, and business and biodiversity. Potočnik lauded the companies for being “green growth in action.”
May 2012: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released the report of the second Meeting of Europe Overseas Roundtable on Biodiversity and Climate Change. The meeting aimed to evaluate progress on biodiversity and climate change in the EU Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) since the last meeting held in June/July 2011, plan for the work ahead in 2012, reflect on the theme of marine issues, and agree on a joint way forward to address biodiversity and climate change issues in Europe overseas.
23 May 2012: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reported that Saint Kitts and Nevis has become the first English Caribbean country to launch its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme. The MAB Programme is dedicated to the sustainable development and management of an area of significant biodiversity and cultural conservation, sustainable development capacity building and information sharing.
21 May 2012: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has reported on progress achieved in the reforestation of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic under a project titled Green Border, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
May 2012: The UN Conference on Trade and Sustainable Development (UNCTAD) has published a report on trade and biodiversity in Latin America, focusing on experiences under the UNCTAD BioTrade framework. BioTrade includes principles and criteria to promote trade and investment in biological resources to further sustainable development, in line with the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The paper makes recommendations for upscaling BioTrade in Latin America.
21 May 2012: Emmanuel Ze Meka, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), and Zhang Shougong, President of the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on international forestry training for ITTO member countries.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
