10 August 2012: Participants at the Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties 11 (COP 11) gathered in Rotorua, New Zealand, from 10-13 August 2012, to prepare to engage at the international level in an effective manner. The meeting was coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and funded by the EU through the African Caribbean Pacific Multilateral Environment Agreement (ACP MEAs) Capacity Building Project, in partnership with the CBD Secretariat.

The meeting brought together Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and partner organizations to discuss a “one Pacific” approach at COP 11. According to SPREP, preparations for COP 11 will draw on lessons learned from CBD COP 10, and aim to ensure a voice at the international level, leading to effective work being conducted at the national level on Pacific biodiversity.

Participating PICs were: Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

COP 11 will take place in Hyderabad, India, in October 2012. [SPREP Press Release]