1 March 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has invited North African and Middle Eastern countries to nominate one representative each for participation in a regional workshop on national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs).

The regional workshop for North African and Middle Eastern countries for the updating and revision of NBSAPs will be held from 2-7 May 2011, in Beirut, Lebanon. It is jointly organized by the CBD Secretariat, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment (CAMRE) of the League of Arab States, and the Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with the financial support of the Japan Biodiversity Fund.

Its purpose is to: strengthen national capacities for the development, implementation, reviewing, updating and communication of NBSAPs; help facilitate national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; and translate the post-2010 strategic plan into national targets and commitments. The workshop will comprise several sessions including one focused on further developing a regional strategy on invasive alien species, to be facilitated by the Global Invasive Species Programme.

Government nominations should be submitted by 15 March 2011. [CBD Notification]