High-Level Dialogue on the Role of Parliamentarians in Biodiversity Issues
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 - from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Maritim Hotel, salon Schumann, ground floor
Godesberger Allee, 53175 Bonn
Justification
Parliamentarians play a crucial role in the enhanced phase of implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), for three main reasons:
· As developers and monitors of government legislation, strategies, policies and budgets, they propose, amend and adopt legal instruments that translate the consensus reached internationally under the Convention into tangible actions at the national and local levels, and decide on the allocation of resources to these ends;
· As communicators with their constituencies, and guardians of the public will and conscience, parliamentarians educate the general public on the importance of biodiversity and bring the concerns of citizens to the debate in the houses;
· Parliamentarians can also strengthen the mandate of CBD National Focal Points, in their mandate to promote the implementation of its decisions and activities. The areas of influence of parliamentarians can reach beyond Ministries of Environment or of International Affairs, by integrating and mainstreaming biodiversity issues into national development strategies, programmes and plans.
Moreover, with the increase in democratic governments world-wide, the role and power of parliamentarians with regard to environmental issues is becoming ever more significant.
Background
The Convention has identified Parliamentarians as a major group since its inception. A cooperation agreement was signed between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1996 (Annex of document A/51/402). In the United Nations Millennium Declaration (Resolution 55/2) and the 2005 World Summit Outcome (Resolution 60/1), Heads of State and Government resolved to strengthen further cooperation between the United Nations and national parliaments through the Inter-Parliamentary Union in all fields of work of the United Nations.
Several resolutions from the Inter-Parliamentary Union concern biodiversity. A resolution adopted unanimously by the 111th Assembly in Geneva, October 2004, on the role of Parliamentarians in preserving biodiversity, recognizes that the CBD is the principal international instrument addressing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It calls on governments to take more effective action in implementing the Convention in order to achieve the target set by the World Summit on Sustainable Development of reducing significantly the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, and urges parliamentarians to take action on ensuring that the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are integrated into national sectoral and cross-sectoral programmes and policies. During the 114th Assembly in 2006, another resolution was passed on the role of parliaments in environmental management and in combating global degradation of the environment. A Presidential Declaration on Climate Change was endorsed during the 116th Assembly in 2007, expressing concerns over the adverse impact of climate change and calling for progress in awareness raising among parliaments related in particular to avoidance of deforestation, financial mechanisms, and the transfer of appropriate and environmentally sound technology. Climate change was also proposed as an emergency item during this year’s 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary union.
In 2006, the Executive Secretary of the CBD called upon all parliamentarians to join the global effort to significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 (http://www.cbd.int/doc/speech/2006/sp-2006-03-28-parliamentarians-en.pdf). The Secretariat of the Convention has also created a webpage providing information on the role of Parliamentarians in biodiversity issues (http://www.cbd.int/parliamentarians/).
The high-level dialogue on Parliamentarians and Biodiversity
Aware of the importance of biodiversity and acknowledging the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the CBD, the Environment Committee of the German Parliament will exceptionally hold its session in Bonn on 27 May 2008. On this occasion, the Executive Secretary has called upon all Parties to nominate Parliamentarian delegates to participate in a meeting with the German parliamentarians on 27 May 2008 in order to further promote the role of parliamentarians in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use (see notification 2008-033 available at: http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2008/ntf-2008-033-parliamentarians-en.pdf). The Bonn Declaration on Biodiversity and Parliamentarians, demonstrating the commitment of parliamentarians toward the achievement of the objectives of the Convention, will be released at this time.
In support of this initiative, Parliamentarian Mrs. Isler Béguin proposed a resolution to the European Parliament, adopted on 24 April 2008, on preparations for the Bonn biodiversity meetings. The resolution expresses deep concerned at the continued loss of biodiversity and at the EU's ever increasing ecological footprint, which extends the impact on biodiversity well beyond the borders of the EU, and welcomes the initiative taken at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the CBD, to convene a high-level dialogue with parliamentarians, expressing its support for involving parliamentarians as a major group in the effective implementation of the three objectives of the Convention;
High-Level Dialogue on the Role of Parliamentarians in Biodiversity Issues
Preliminary Programme
3.00 p.m.                             Opening remarks
                                            President of COP 9 Â
3.00 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.           Interventions
- Ms. Petra Bierwirth, President of the Environment Committee of the German Parliament
- Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
- Ambassador John Ashe, Chairman of the Group of 77
- Mr. Ander B. Johnsson, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Mr. Adam C. T. Matthews, Secretary-General, GLOBE International Secretariat
- Ms. Marie Anne Isler Béguin, EU Parliament
- Representative of the Canadian Parliament
- Representative of the Japanese Parliament
- The Honourable Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (Mrs.) Â Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibia
4.30 p.m. – 5.30 p.m.          Discussion
5.30 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.          Reading and adoption of the Bonn Declaration on Parliamentarians and Biodiversity
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