NEW ZEALAND said the AHTEG should avoid duplication between the Rio Conventions when undertaking supplementrary assessments. 

Above photo: Alan Reid (New Zealand)

BOLIVIA asked to recognize case studies as an essential element of supplementary assessments.

Above photo: Monica Moraes (Bolivia)

CANADA supported AUSTRALIA's request to limit the scope of AHTEG’s work to adaptation.

Above photo L-R: Ole Hendrickson, Robert McLean, Heather Auld and Campbell Davidson

Above photo: Delegates from the EU, New Zealand, Australia and Canada in consultation concerning language on adaptation.     

LIBERIA said their farmers feel threatened by GURTs and do not need any capacity building on the use of GURTs, but rather information on their impacts.

Above photo: Ben Turtur Donnie (Liberia)

Recalling the agreement in the Friends of the Chair Group PERU wondered why the section on additional research on GURTs was maintainted.

Above photo: Maria Luisa del Rio Mispireta (Peru)

SOUTH AFRICA suggested for SBSTTA to recommend to the COP to find that the AHTEG report was not a consensus document.

Above photo: Gert Willemse  (South Africa)

The ETC GROUP warned the text on GURTs opened the door to commercialization and field testing of GURTs and called for a strict ban. 

Above photo L-R: Jim Thomas and Hope Shand (ETC Group)

INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS FORUM ON BIODIVERSITY called for full recognition and respect for the rights of indigenous and local communities on islands;
CUBA expressed appreciation for the understanding shown by the developed countries to the needs of the small island development States; Horst Korn (Germany) presented the outcomes of the contact group on island biodiversity.

Above photos L-R: Lourdes Amos and Le'a Kanehe (IIFB), Dalia Maria Salabarria Fernandez (Cuba) and Horst Korn (Germany)

Working Group II (WG-II) adopted CRPs on: indicators for assessing progress towards, and communicating, the 2010 target, including an outline for the second Global Biodiversity Outline (GBO); the role of the clearing-house mechanism (CHM); and outcome-oriented targets. Adoption of a CRP on incentives was postponed until the resumed session of WG-II on Friday morning.

Above photos L-R: The WG-II panel with Alfred Oteng Yeboah, Ghana, WG-II Chair Christian Prip (Denmark) and David Cooper, CBD; WG-II Chair Prip informing delegates that a contact group on incentive measures was established.

Canada requested changes in the sub-targets on the protection of traditional knowledge, innovation and practices for consistency with CBD Article 8j on traditional knowledge.

Above photo: Risa Smith (Canada)

The EC requested clarification on SBSTTA’s mandate to amend the framework for the inclusion of goals and targets into the Convention’s work programmes.  

 Above photo: Stefan Leiner (EC)

The Russian Federation proposed to remove redundant references on information sharing through the clearing-house mechanism.

Above photo: Alexander Shestakov (Russian Federation)

Brazil suggested leaving a target on the protection of the components of marine biodiversity in brackets if no agreement can be reached.

Above photo: Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias  (Brazil)

In the spirit of compromise, Iceland agreed to retain original wording on a sub-target to protect at least 10% of the world’s marine and coastal ecological regions, pending approval by his government.

Above photo: Suorri Baldursson (Iceland)

Japan opposed references to the outcomes of the IUCN World Parks Congress regarding high seas marine protected areas.


Above photo L-R: Yasuko Miyazawa, Saori Hirai and Tetsuya Iwasaki   (Japan)

South Africa asked for references to scientific and human capacities in a sub-target on ensuring adequate provision of resources for the effective implementation of the Convention. 

Above photos L-R: Gert Willemse and Alf Wills (South Africa)

Spain clarified that the overall framework for goals and targets remains unchanged by amendments made to sub-targets.


Above photo: Alejandro Lago Candeira and Sergio Alvarez  (Spain)

The contact group on incentive measures met twice during the day and continued discussions late into the night. Delegates debated: possible political action; removal of policies and practices that generate perverse incentives; removal and overcoming of obstacles; and mitigation policies.

Above photos L-R: Sem Taukondjo Shikongo (Namibia) chaired the contact group on incentive measures; Delegates from the Spain, France, Finland and the EC in a lively exchange of suggestions on language to the draft text on incentive measures.