Subject: 10th meeting of the conf. of the parties of CITES
STATEMENT
By
Calestous Juma
Executive Secretary
Convention on Biological Diversity
to the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
9-20 June 1997
Harare, Zimbabwe
Mr. President,
Your excellencies
Honourable delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
1. It is an honour for me to have this opportunity to address this
important meeting and to draw you attention to the importance of close
cooperation between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora
(CITES). The CBD was negotiated concurrently with the preparations for the
historic United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The text of the Convention and the
basic elements of Agenda 21, the programme of work adopted by UNCED, share
the same heritage. The two are products of the vision that inspired the
international community to seek new ways of integrating environmental goals
into development objectives.
2. The international community has captured the vision and translated
it into a strong commitment to: conserve biological diversity; sustainably
use its components; and fairly and equitably share the benefits arising
from the utilization of genetic resources. These are the three objectives
of the CBD. The CBD has thus become the first major international legal
instrument for translating global commitments on sustainable development
into national and local action.
3. The CBD encourages the use of social, cultural and economic
incentives for conservation; it promotes the role of innovation and the
sharing of experiences; it supports community-based conservation
programmes; it respects intellectual other rights; and it provides
financial resources for meeting global environmental needs. It also calls
upon nations to act responsibly and to carefully review the impact of their
actions on biological diversity beyond their territories. It blends the
appeal to sovereign authority with the need to consider issues of common
concern to humankind.
4. By combining conservation and development, the CBD provides
compelling reasons for society to experiment with new approaches to
sustainable development. Over the short period we have been in existence,
there is ample evidence that the transition towards sustainable development
has started and it is the duty of the international community to recognize
and reward those governments and institutions that lead the way.
5. The CBD was negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations
Environment Progranmme (UNEP) and entered into force on 29 December 1993.
It has been ratified by 169 Parties, making it one of the most
universally-accepted environmental treaties. The Conference of the Parties
(COP) to the Convention held its first meeting in Nassau (Bahamas) in 1994,
its second meeting in Jakarta (Indonesia) in 1995 and its third meeting in
Buenos Aires (Argentina) in November 1996. The COP will hold its fourth
meeting in Bratislava (Slovak Republic) in May 1998.
6. Over the last three years, a number of measures have been put in
place to facilitate the implementation of the CBD and most of its major
articles have been discussed at the last three meetings of the COP. The
main focus of the first meeting of the COP was to establish the necessary
internal institutional arrangements and rules of procedure for the
operation of the Convention. It adopted a medium-term programme of work for
the Convention, formulated modalities for the functioning of the Subsidiary
Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and
designated the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as its interim
institutional structure to implement the financial mechanism under the
Convention.
7. The second meeting of the COP adopted the Jakarta Mandate on Marine
and Coastal Biological Diversity as its first framework programme,
initiated the pilot phase of the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM), and
established an Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety which has held
two meetings and expects to finalize negotiations for a protocol on the
subject in 1998. It considered the report of the first meeting of the
SBSTTA and adopted the modus operandi of the advisory body. The meeting
also chose Montreal as the permanent seat of the Secretariat of the
Convention and this decision was effected without delay as required by the
COP.
8. The third meeting of the Parties adopted the Memorandum of
Cooperation between the Council of the GEF and the COP. The meeting also
adopted a multi-year programme on agricultural biological diversity to be
implemented in close cooperation with the Food and Agriculture
Organizaation of the United Nations (FAO). It also requested the
Secretariat to draft a programme of work on forest biological diversity in
close cooperation with the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF)
established by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) of the
United Nations.
9. The SBSTTA has held two sessions (in August 1995 and September
1996) and has played a key role in providing scientific, technical and
technological advice to the COP while undertaking a number of
intersessional activities. The SBSSTA is asserting itself as the leading
intergovernmetnal scientific, technical and technological authority on all
matters pertaining to biological diversity. On the basis of its advice, the
COP has adopted the "ecosystem approach"-broadly defined-as the guiding
principle for the implementation of the Convention.
10. The first meeting of experts on marine and coastal biological
diversity was held in March 1997 in Jakarta under the auspices of the
SBSTTA. The Secretariat has also worked closely with the SBSSTA in
convening liaison group meetings to prepare documents for meetings under
the Convention. Such meetings have been held on forest biological diversity
and biological diversity indicators. Other relevant activities under the
Convention include the planned Intersessional Workshop on the
Implementation of Article 8(j) to be held in November 1997.
11. One of the main features of the implementation of the CBD has been
the emphasis of the COP on cooperation between the Convention with other
biodiversity-related conventions, institutions and processes. Cooperation
with other biodiversity-related conventions was made a standing item on the
agenda of every COP meeting, and memoranda of cooperation have now been
signed with the Ramsar Convention (on wetlands of international
significance), CITES, the Convention on Migratory Species and various
regional agreements.
12. The secretariat has also signed a memorandum of understanding with
the World Bank and plans to finalize similar arrangements with the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage Convention, the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World
Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(WCMC).
13. The CBD has used international cooperation as a way to stimulate
action at the international, regional and national levels. For example, the
Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity is now
stimulating reviews within major intergovernmental bodies on ways to
strengthen their programmes and bring their operations in line with the
CBD.
14. Another vital area of cooperation between the two instruments is
drawing on CITES experience to advance the implementation of the CBD. The
experience gained in the CITES process, with over 20 years of operation, is
an important source of ideas for developing mechanisms for the effective
implementation of the CBD. Reviews of the effectiveness of CITES also
provide important insights into the pitfalls and opportunities that lie
ahead of the CBD. The CBD is also looking to other conventions such as
Ramsar for additional experiences.
15. The potential benefits of cooperation have been recognised by both
the CBD and the CITES process and have provided the rationale for entering
into the memorandum of cooperation signed in March 1996 between the
secretariats of the two conventions. By this agreement the secretariats
agreed to: (a) encourage participation at each other's meetings; (b)
institute procedures for regular exchange of information; (c) coordinate
relevant parts of our work programmes; (d) encourage integration and
consistency between national strategies, plans or programmes; and (e)
coordinate research, training and public awareness-raising activities.
16. The secretariats also agreed to consult their Parties to find ways
of encouraging: (a) effective conservation; (b) promotion of the
sustainable use of wildlife; and (c) development of working relations with
the secretariats of international agreements on trade and intellectual
property rights to facilitate measures aimed at sustainable use of
wildlife. The two secretariats have secured observer status in the World
Trade Organization (WTO).
17. There is a need for practical arrangements that would allows the
COPs of the treaty bodies to cooperate with each other in an effective and
efficient manner. One possibility is to align the dates of the meetings of
the COPs so that they support each other. Other areas that require
consideration include the mutual reporting of the results of the COPs. Such
measures as well as reciprocal representation could also apply to
subsidiary bodies and activities under the conventions. The third meeting
of the COP (in decision III/21) encouraged "the further development of
cooperative arrangements at the scientific and technical level with
appropriate biological diversity-related conventions and institutions . . .
through the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological
Advice."
18. The importance of cooperation between the two secretariats has been
recognized and the COP of the CBD (in its decision III/21) has endorsed the
memorandum of cooperation between the two secretariats. In doing so, the
COP requested the secretariat "to continue to coordinate with the
secretariats of relevant biological diversity-related conventions,
institutions, and processes, with a view to: facilitating the exchange of
information and experience; exploring the possibility of recommending
procedures for harmonizing, to the extent desirable and practicable, the
reporting requirements of Parties under those instruments and conventions;
exploring the possibility of coordinating their respective programmes of
work; and consulting on how such conventions and other international legal
instruments can contribute to the implementation of the provisions of the
Convention on Biological Diversity."
19. The CBD's financial mechanism could serve as an important source of
funds for the implementation of programmes developed to realize the goals
of other biodiversity related conventions. The third meeting of the COP (in
decision III/21) invited "contracting parties to relevant biological
diversity-related conventions to explore opportunities for accessing
funding through the Global Environment Facility for relevant projects,
including projects involving a number of countries, which fulfil the
eligibility criteria and guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention on Biological Diversity to the Global Environment
Facility."
20. Further, the third meeting of the COP (in decision III/6) has also
called up the secretariat to "explore as soon as possible ways of
collaborating with funding institutions to facilitate these efforts to
achieve greater support for the Convention." The COP also requested the
secretariat to look into "possibilities for encouraging the involvement of
the private sector in supporting the Convention's objectives." These
decisions make it possible for the two conventions to work together to
promote the availability of financial resources in meeting their
objectives.
21. I have outlined the main features that underlie the cooperation
between the two conventions and would like to conclude by making specific
proposals for your consideration.
22. I would like to invite CITES to present the relevant results of
this meeting to the next meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific,
Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) which will be held in September
1997 in Montreal. This will provide the first opportunity for CITES to
contribute as appropriate to the agenda of SBSTTA.
23. I would also like to extend to CITES the opportunity to present the
results of this meeting directly to the next meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to CBD which will be held in May 1998 in Bratislava, Slovak
Republic. This will give CITES the change to directly participate in the
CBD decision-making process. As we have done with Ramsar, we could actively
explore areas where CITES could act as the lead partner in supporting the
implementation of CBD objectives. In turn, the CBD might wish to
communicate the relevant results of its fourth meeting to the 11th meeting
of the COP of CITES.
24. With these suggestion, I would like to thank you all for kind
attention and look forward to further cooperation between our two
conventions.
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E-mail: bionet@igc.apc.org
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