Notification 2018-077

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to inform you that the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, is convening a regional capacity-building workshop on biodiversity and human health for the ASEAN region to be held from 5 to 7 November 2018, in Manila, Philippines. The workshop is also being convened in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health of Philippines, with financial support from ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the European Union. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia will also provide technical input and support. The workshop aims to strengthen collaboration, engagement and policy coherence between national agencies responsible for biodiversity and those responsible for health, to mainstream biodiversity and health linkages in national policies and programmes, and to contribute to enhanced national implementation of the Convention, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and related Sustainable Development Goals among ASEAN countries. In particular, the workshop is intended to equip participants from the biodiversity and health sectors with the knowledge and tools needed to: (i) Promote transboundary/regional cooperation and support networks on health and biodiversity issues and strategies with a view to informing an action plan on biodiversity and health for ASEAN countries; (ii) Identify key entry points and discuss best practices for integrating health and biodiversity considerations in national and/or regional biodiversity policies or programmes as well as in national and/or regional health policies or programmes, among ASEAN countries; (iii) Strengthen capacity and identify further capacity needs for the mainstreaming of biodiversity and health linkages in relevant national and/or regional policies, plans and programmes; (iv) Identify possible joint activities to achieve health and biodiversity co-benefits for consideration in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and national health plans among ASEAN countries; and (v) Strategically integrate biodiversity and health considerations in the post-2020 biodiversity framework and in the development of integrated approaches to health including One Health, Ecohealth and Planetary Health. The workshop will support the implementation of decisions XII/21 and XIII/6 of the Conference of the Parties, by which the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary to organize, in collaboration with WHO and other relevant organizations, additional capacity-building workshops on the interlinkages between biodiversity and human health, under the joint work programme between the Secretariat and WHO. By this notification, I am pleased to invite your Government to nominate one official or expert responsible for the implementation of the Convention to participate in this workshop. In addition, nominations from the health sector will also be sought through a separate nomination process, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. Nominees who take part in this workshop will be expected to discuss how biodiversity and health linkages can be mainstreamed at the national and/or sub-national level and regional levels, with the support of their respective government and/or institution. Participants should be individuals in the region from national agencies with relevant knowledge of the Convention who are in a position to develop and/or support implementation of relevant policies, plans and actions at the national level and/or regional level. The Secretariat encourages the nomination of a representative who meets the following criteria: (i) Experience, knowledge or expertise on national and/or regional environmental policy and networks; (ii) A responsibility within a national-level institution/agency, related to biodiversity or environmental management; (iii) Ability to actively contribute to discussions on biodiversity, health and global environmental change, drawing on their knowledge and practical experiences; (iv) Availability to follow up on the outcomes of the workshop including by sharing the meeting outcomes with relevant colleagues, transferring the knowledge gained into actions at the national, sub-national and, insofar as possible, regional levels and/or advancing consideration of biodiversity and health linkages in upcoming meetings under the Convention, such as through supporting their delegations and negotiating groups to integrate biodiversity and health considerations in policies, programmes or decisions; and (v) Ability to engage in cross-sectoral collaboration, including through engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities, in the development of relevant programmes, plans or strategies among ASEAN countries. Parties wishing to nominate a participant should provide the name and full contact details of their nominee via a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary and signed by the National Focal Point. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Project funded by the European Union will cover the costs of travel tickets (economy fare), accommodation (up to a maximum of five nights), and provide all meals during the workshop for nominated representatives from ASEAN countries who are eligible for funding. Nominations should be forwarded, as soon as possible, but no later than 20 October 2018 (scanned and attached to an e-mail addressed to secretariat@cbd.int, or faxed to +1 (514) 288-6588). Workshop materials will be forwarded to nominated participants and posted on the Secretariat’s biodiversity and health website in due course. The workshop will be conducted in English. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and for your continued support for the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points of the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos, Brunei