13 May 2012: The fourth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Implementation (WGRI 4) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which met in Montreal, Canada, from 7-11 May 2012, adopted eight recommendations that will be submitted to the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the CBD, including a message to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).COP 11 will convene from 8-19 October 2012, in Hyderabad, India.

The eight recommendations address: the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; the Strategy for Resource Mobilization; the Financial Mechanism (GEF); the message to Rio+20; cooperation with other conventions; biodiversity for poverty eradication and development; engagement of business; and South-South cooperation.

On the financial mechanism, the WGRI recommends that the COP, inter alia: adopt a four-year outcome-oriented framework of programme priorities for the period 2014-2018 and request the GEF to implement it and report back to COP 13; encourage the GEF to further improve the timeliness of providing financial support; emphasize that the Strategic Plan and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets provide the overall framework for the implementation of the Convention for the decade, including for the activities during the period of GEF-6 (2014-2018); and take note of the range of funding needs estimated for GEF-6, which includes both what might be provided through the replenishment of the GEF trust fund for the biodiversity focal area as well as what might be provided through other funds leveraged through the financial mechanism.

On Rio+20, the WGRI invites the President of COP 11 to deliver the message on the importance of sustainable development, in line with the annex and the Strategic Plan, to Rio+20. It further invites national focal points and others to share the annex and the Strategic Plan with officials in charge of the Rio+20 preparations, to ensure that the importance of biodiversity is fully reflected in national positions. [IISD RS coverage of the meeting]