ITTO active at CBD COP 11

ITTO had an active presence at the Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 11) during October 6-17 in Hyderabad, India. The Secretariat participated in The Third International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative Global Conference (IPSI-3) from October 6-7, the theme of the conference being “Contribution to Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets”. At this meeting ITTO became a member of the steering committee that serves as the executive body of IPSI.

On October 10, ITTO co-hosted a side event titled “Collaborative approach to forest-related Aichi Targets” with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and BirdLife International. The event was chaired by ITTO’s Executive Director Emmanuel Ze Meka and was attended by high level officials from producer and consumer member countries, as well as IGO and NGO representatives, among others. The agenda of the event can be downloaded from the Events section of ITTO’s website. 

ITTO co-hosted another side-event on October 12 together with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), FAO and UNEP entitled “A Policy Brief Launch: Securing the Future of Mangroves”. The Policy Brief, based on the World Atlas of Mangroves (2010) published under an ITTO-funded project, provides managers with lessons learned on the conservation and management of mangroves, and recommends policy measures that could be taken in order to protect them. ITTO gave a presentation on its international work on mangroves at this event. The flyer for this event is available from the Events section of ITTO’s website and the event itself, together with the individual presentations, can be viewed on the CBD webcast site (http://cbdcop11india.co.cc/?p=442).

On October 16, ITTO participated in the first meeting of the Task Force on the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, which focused on enhancing coordination and cooperation in supporting national and regional efforts to implement the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Consultations were also undertaken during the COP with representatives of various member countries, including high level officials from governments, as well as regional organizations such as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).

The CBD COP also welcomed the expanding collaboration between CBD and ITTO, including the implementation of three projects covering 15 Parties in the Amazon, Congo Basin and Greater Mekong regions under the framework of an ITTO-CBD Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity, and reiterated its invitation to Parties and relevant organizations to support this initiative further.


For more information on ITTO go to www.itto.int

News release