8 November 2012: At the Second Council Meeting of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), participants discussed, formulated and revised the Global Strategy for Great Apes (the Global Strategy), the GRASP Priority Plan 2013-2016 (the Priority Plan), and the Rules for the Organization and Management of GRASP (the GRASP Rules). Participants also participated in three Great Ape Seminars on illegal trade, the green economy and technology.

The meeting took place in Paris, France, from 6-8 November 2012. Participants included partners from range States, non-range States, the scientific community, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and UN agencies, as well as observers, including organizations that have begun the process to join GRASP.

According to IISD Reporting Services, deliberations focused on formulating the next steps for GRASP, identifying its priorities for the period 2013-2016 and updating its founding documents accordingly. Given the seven-year gap between the first and second Council meetings, many participants lamented that communication between the partners, the Secretariat and GRASP’s organs was too infrequent. However, upon conclusion of the deliberations, participants expressed a sense of optimism going forward, with the caveat that more progress should be made and more action taken before the next Council meeting in 2016. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [UN-GRASP Website]