Upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity meetings with issues of relevance to Indigenous Peoples

Two meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which will deal with issues of relevance for indigenous peoples are scheduled in Montreal, Canada, in the first two weeks of November:

- The Seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, 31 October - 4 November 2011, (WG8(j)-7), and

- The Fifteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, 7 - 11 November 2011 (SBSTTA 15).

WG8(j)-7 will reflect on several tasks of the programme of work on article 8(j), which is going to be revised. A key issue will be the discussion on how Article 10(c), which deals with customary sustainable use of biodiversity, will become a major new component in the revised programme. The meeting will also address the development of indicators relevant for traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use. Meeting documents and more information are available here.

One of the issues SBSTTA-15 will reflect on is the recently adopted new Strategic Plan of the Convention, including indicators for measuring progress. It is also tasked to discuss the outcomes of a recent expert group on bush meat, which has for several years been a point of debate between indigenous peoples and conservation organisations. Meeting documents and more information are available here.

FPP and partners will attend both meetings and provide news and updates through our website and in our next E-Newsletter.