Parties pledge their support for the Plan on Cities and Local Authorities at the Negotiations underway at the CBD COP10 in Japan
19 October 2010
Nagoya, Japan: Led by Brazil, Parties Japan, Mexico, South Africa, Jordan and Canada, pledged their support for the Plan of Action on Cities and Local Authorities (2011 – 2020) at the negotiations currently underway at the tenth Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10).
The issue of Cities and Biodiversity was dealt with in negotiation Working Group II, under Item 4.9, which also dealt with the issue of Cooperation between the Conventions; South-South Cooperation and Gender. Brazil, on behalf of the Brazilian Minister of the Environment, Izabella Teixeira, announced their support for the Plan of Action on Cities and Local Authorities. They also announced the support of South Africa, Singapore and Mexico to the Plan. On behalf of these four countries Brazil proposed changes to the draft Plan:
1. The addition of ‘Sub-national Governments’ to the plan, including a change of the title to: The Plan of Action on Sub-national Governments, Cities, and other Local Authorities (2011-2020);
2. Recognition of global initiatives and tools such as ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability’s Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) Programme and the City Biodiversity Index;
3. Emphasis on the role of local governments in the compilation of national biodiversity strategy and action plans (NBSAPs); and
4. Specification that the Plan is designed to avoid additional financial burden on Parties.
The changes proposed to the Plan had been made with crucial input and guidance from ICLEI’s LAB team.
Brazil has taken the lead in lobbying for the Plan over the past months and encouraged other Parties to add their support. The Brazilian delegation recalled the beginning of local authorities’ support of the Plan through the 1st and later the 2nd Curitiba Declaration*, which resulted from two meetings of local authority leaders held in Curitiba in 2007 and in January this year.
Canada, in adding their support, also acknowledged the role played by ICLEI specifically, and other members of the Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity who “have worked very hard” to provide cities with useful tools to assist in the implementation of the objectives of the CBD.
Although the EU supported the role of cities in the implementation of the objectives of the CBD, the EU on behalf of its 27 member states proposed the Plan of Action on Cities be taken to fourth Working Group on the Review of Implementation of the CBD (WGRI), where it be reviewed for adoption at COP11.
The Jordan delegation was the first Party to speak under Item 4.9, they said: “We support the outcome of the (City Biodiversity) Summit which will take place next week and support the Plan of Action on Cities and Local Authorities. In our view cities consume 80% of natural resources and have 50% of the global population, so we launch an appeal to implement the Action Plan on Cities.”
The Japan delegation said: “Japan supports the draft Plan of Action on Cities and Local Authorities and thanks other parties like Brazil and Singapore who are actively involved in the development of Plan. We fully support this draft edition.” Japan went on to inform the Working Group of the City Biodiversity Summit taking place in Nagoya as a parallel event to the CBD COP10 next week (from 24 – 26 October). Japan said delegates, consisting of mayors and other local authority leaders, would discuss city and local government issues, and then make input into High-Level Segment of the COP. The City Biodiversity Summit has been arranged by the Aichi-Nagoya COP10 CBD Promotion Committee with critical input from ICLEI.
* ‘Curitiba Declaration on Cities and Biodiversity’ and ‘Towards Aichi/Nagoya: 2nd Curitiba Declaration on Local Authorities and Biodiversity’.