3 June 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has circulated the provisional agendas and called for participant nominations for the seventh meeting of the Working Group on Article 8(j) and the 15th meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 15), to be held in October-November 2011, in Montreal, Canada.

The seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions will be held from 31 October-4 November 2011. The agenda includes items on: mechanisms to promote the effective participation of indigenous and local communities (ILCs) in the work of the Convention; an in-depth dialogue on ecosystem management, ecosystem services and protected areas; and several tasks of the multi-year programme of work on the implementation of Article 8(j), including a strategy to integrate Article 10, with a focus on Article 10(c) (customary sustainable use), as a cross-cutting issue into the programmes of work and thematic areas of the Convention.

Nominations from governments, ILCs and international organizations are invited by 30 September 2011. ILC representatives wishing to receive funding from the Voluntary Trust Fund are invited to submit their applications no later than 31 July 2011.

SBSTTA 15 will be held from 7-11 November 2011. The agenda includes items on: the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including ecosystem restoration and a capacity-building strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative; invasive alien species (IAS); inland water biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; Arctic biodiversity; and ways and means to improve SBSTTA effectiveness. Nominations are invited by 30 September 2011. [CBD Notification on Article 8(j) Meeting] [CBD Notification for ILCs] [Working Group on Article 8(j) Documents] [Voluntary Trust Fund Application Forms] [CBD Notification on SBSTTA 15] [SBSTTA 15 Documents]