22 October 2012: Held from 8-19 October 2012, in Hyderabad, India, the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted 33 decisions on a range of strategic, substantive, administrative, financial and budgetary issues. Delegates agreed to set an interim target of doubling biodiversity-related international financial resource flows to developing countries by 2015, and at least maintaining this level until 2020. This is coupled with targets on improving baseline information, as well as a preliminary reporting framework for monitoring resource mobilization. More.

Photo: COP 11 President Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of Environment and Forests, India, gavelled the meeting to a close at 3:02 am.

19 October 2012: The eighth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC 8) of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) took place from 15-19 October 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 125 participants attended the meeting, which adopted 12 decisions and established six intersessional working groups. More.

Photo: Members and observers attending POPRC-8.