16 December 2010: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has invited nominations of country-designated experts to participate in the Asia-Pacific regional consultation and capacity-building workshop on REDD+, including relevant biodiversity safeguards, scheduled for 15-18 March 2011, in Singapore City, Singapore.

Nominated experts should be involved in: national-level implementation of the CBD programme of work on forest biodiversity; the preparation or implementation of national-level climate change mitigation and/or adaptation activities related to forest ecosystems in the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); or national-level implementation of forest-related strategies and action plans and/or the implementation of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests in the framework of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF). Nominations should be submitted no later than 10 February 2011.

The workshop will focus on biodiversity and indigenous and local community aspects of REDD+, including relevant safeguards. Its purpose, pursuant to decision X/33 of the CBD Conference of the Parties, is to consult effectively with parties on the development of advice on relevant safeguards for biodiversity, so that REDD+ actions are consistent with the objectives of the CBD and avoid negative impacts on and enhance benefits for biodiversity. Further objectives of the workshop are to identify possible indicators to assess the contribution of REDD+ to achieving the objectives of the CBD, and assess potential mechanisms to monitor impacts on biodiversity from these and other ecosystem-based approaches for climate change mitigation measures. The workshop also aims to enhance the coordination of capacity-building efforts on issues related to biodiversity and ecosystem-based carbon sequestration and the conservation of forest carbon stocks. This is the first in a series of three regional workshops to ensure effective consultation with parties on the topic of relevant REDD+ biodiversity safeguards, and it will be followed by regional workshops in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. [CBD Notification]