Submission of views on the Draft Voluntary Guidelines

From: Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity

To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points; other Governments; relevant organizations

Subject: Submission of views on the Draft Voluntary Guidelines for the consideration of Biodiversity in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) in Marine and Coastal Areas

Thematic area: Marine and Coastal Biodiversity 

Ref.: SCBD/STTM/DC/JL/JG/79813

NOTIFICATION

No. 2012-069

Madam/Sir,

You will recall that, pursuant to paragraph 50 of decision X/29, the Executive Secretary facilitated the development of voluntary guidelines for the consideration of biodiversity in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and strategic environmental assessments (SEAs) in marine and coastal areas, building upon the existing voluntary guidelines endorsed through decision VIII/28.

Drafts of the voluntary guidelines, together with background information, were circulated to Parties, other Governments and organizations for technical peer review through notification 2011-212, issued on 7 November 2011. The comments from the technical peer-review are reflected in the draft voluntary guidelines (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/7/Add.1) and the background document (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/INF/16) prepared for the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), at its 16th meeting, held in Montreal, 30 April to 5 May 2012.

At this meeting, SBSTTA prepared a recommendation to the Conference of the Parties on this matter and also requested the Executive Secretary to refine the voluntary guidelines for the consideration of biodiversity in environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments in marine and coastal areas in light of views submitted by Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations by 30 June 2012.

In this context, I am pleased to invite you to send your views on the draft voluntary guidelines contained in document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/16/7/Add.1 (available at the following link: http://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=SBSTTA-16) to the CBD Secretariat by email, as a word document attachment to secretariat@cbd.int, at your earliest convenience, but no later than 30 June 2012.

The text of this notification is also available on the CBD website at: http://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2012/ntf-2012-069-marine-en.pdf

Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias

Executive Secretary

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

United Nations Environment Programme

413 Saint-Jacques Street, Suite 800

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

H2Y 1N9

11th Indigenous Peoples Forum Opens at United Nations

Delegates of the United Confederation of Taino People on the first day of the 2012 session. From left to right: Damon G. Corrie, Vanessa Inarunikia Pastrana, Taino AnaYuisa Pellicier, and Roberto Mukaro Borrero.

 

United Nations, NY (UCTP Taíno News) – The 11th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues opened on Monday at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Almost two-thousand representatives of Indigenous Peoples, non-governmental organizations, and academia have per-registered to attend the two-week session. The special theme for the year is the “The Doctrine of Discovery: its enduring impact on indigenous peoples and the right to redress for past conquests.” 

Read the full article:
http://www.uctp.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=741&Itemid=2

Registration Process - Eleventh Session of the UNPFII

Dear Friends,

Please find enclosed the Arrangements for Participation for your information.

United Nations grounds pass
A blue laminated plastic badge that has a photo of the bearer on it. By itself, it does not give access to the North Lawn Building. It must be used with a secondary access pass.

Secondary access pass
A laminated coloured cardboard non-photo pass that is only valid when it is accompanied by a valid United Nations grounds pass. During the Eleventh Session, they will be issued at the time of registration to give access to the North Lawn Building. This pass can be used for the duration of the session.

During on-site registration, one secondary access pass will be given to each organization to be shared amongst its delegates. These passes will be given out, as long as supplies last, at a table marked “secondary access passes” in the lobby of the General Assembly Building.

Only ONE secondary access pass will be given per organization for the duration of the session. Please take special care not to lose your secondary access pass.

Special event tag (SET)
This is for access to side events in the North Lawn Building.  A coloured cardboard ticket with the date, time and location of the room of the side event (usually held during lunchtime and the evening) will be distributed.  The SETs will be distributed each morning at the SPFII table in the Visitors' Lobby starting at approximately 9:00 AM for that day's events by the event organizers.

Registration Hours
We will be open for on-site registration on Sunday 6 May. In order to Register, you must have already pre-registered online and be approved.

Registration will take place in the Lobby at the UN Visitors' Entrance (General Assembly Building). Entrance is at First Avenue and 45th Street. Once you pass through the white security tent please proceed to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues registration desk.  There will be 3 separate lines/queues depending upon your status:

1) NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC--You will be able to use your existing UN grounds pass but will be required to obtain the secondary access pass to gain access to the conference room.
2) New IPOs and Academics--Upon registration you will sign/make corrections to your grounds pass form that you filled out online and take it to the security desk to get your grounds pass printed.
3) 2011 Participating IPOs and Academics--If you attended last year's session, your grounds pass will be waiting for you in this line when you register.

Immediately after registering your designated representative will proceed to the line/queue for to receive the SECONDARY PASS that is to be shared among all members of your organization.  This pass will be valid for the entire duration of the session and if lost or forgotten it cannot be replaced.

Registration times are as follows:
 
Sunday 6 May          12.00p.m. to 5:00p.m.
Monday 7 May          8.00 a.m. to 3:45p.m.
Tuesday 8 May          9.00a.m. to 3:45p.m.
Wednesday 9 May to 18 May        9:30a.m. to 3:45p.m.
Closed every day from 12.30 to 2:00 p.m.

The Registration Desk will be closed every day from 12:30 to 2:00p.m. for lunch-break. Accordingly, no ground-pass will be issued during the lunch-break. Exceptionally, registration may be conducted during lunch-break if a large number of people are still in line.

Make sure to bring the confirmation letter that you receive after pre-registering as well as a photo identification document to get a UN ground-pass. It should be noted that for security reasons, only official documents (passports, state-issued driver’s license and similar documents), are accepted. No other documents will be accepted.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at ngo@un.org or indigenous_un@un.org.
 
Thank you very much for your support.

Sincerely yours,

Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (SPFII)
Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD)
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/session-eleventh.html