The CBD and the Country Support Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) held the Asia Regional Workshop on Biodiversity and Finance in Support of the Nagoya Outcomes of the CBD.
Governments in the region noted their eagerness to consider the design of a South-South Biodiversity Cooperation Fund, to which India is considering making an initial contribution of US$1 million.
12 April 2011: Organized in collaboration with the Country Support Programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Asia Regional Workshop on Biodiversity and Finance in Support of the Nagoya Outcomes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held on 8 April 2011, in Da Lat, Viet Nam.
The workshop was preceded by the GEF Asia Expanded Constituency Workshop, and included national focal points to the GEF and the CBD, as well as a briefing with civil society organizations.
Participants welcomed the US$1 million project to support GEF-eligible countries to expedite the process of ratification of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS). They exchanged national experiences related to the targets of the Strategic Plan 2011-2020, and discussed the possibility of a global coordination mechanism in that regard. Participants called for funding to develop country-specific resource-mobilization strategies in support of the national implementation of the targets, including assessment of funding needs. They also highlighted the need to exchange funding experiences between countries.
In particular, many governments in the region are eager to consider the design of a South-South Biodiversity Cooperation Fund, including its governance, eligibility, donor resources and operational modalities. Participants noted that India is considering making an initial contribution of US$1 million to establish such a fund with the GEF. [CBD Communiqué]