18 May 2012: Delegates at the fifth Meeting of the Parties (MOP 5) to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) discussed, among other things: implementation of the Agreement and Action Plan; international reviews; the International Implementation Tasks 2009-2016; the African-Eurasian Flyways Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project; and implementation and revision of the communication strategy. More.

Photo: Paul Delduc, AEWA MOP 5 Chair

11 May 2012: The fourth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Implementation (WGRI 4) of the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted eight recommendations that will be submitted to the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11), including a message to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). More.

Photo: Chair Kazuaki Hosino, Japan, gaveled the meeting to a close at 6:07pm.

11 May 2012: The Working Group focused on: marine genetic resources; the organization of intersessional workshops; and the identification of gaps and ways forward, with a view to ensuring an effective legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. More.

1o May 2012: The First Stakeholder Forum of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) sought to make progress on the AEEP 2020 targets to radically improve African deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy access, and energy security. More.

9 May 2012: Delegates at the SIDS High-Level Conference on Sustainable Development for All (SE4ALL), which convened in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 7-8 May 2012, unanimously adopted the Barbados Declaration, which will be taken to the Rio+20 Conference in June. More.

5 May 2012: The 16th session of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted 15 recommendations, including two packages of recommendations on marine and coastal biodiversity, and biodiversity and climate change. It also addressed the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and in-depth review of the work programme on island biodiversity, inter alia. More.

4 May 2012: The second round of “informal informal” consultations on the draft outcome document for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) made some progress in clarifying positions and finding compromise text, and agreed on 21 paragraphs ad referendum (pending agreement on the final text). Approximately 400 paragraphs remain to be negotiated. More.