COP 9

COP 9 invited Parties to double their efforts to implement the CEPA Programme of Work, in doing so it invited Parties to provide human and financial resources to the Executive Secretary for the implementation of the CEPA work programme; (Decision IX/32)

Parties were invited to create partnerships to transmit CEPA products to regions without internet access. The decision also stressed the importance for Parties to integrate CEPA into their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs);

The decision on CEPA also included reference to the need to support CEPA activities related towards Access and Benefit –sharing;

In addition to Decision IX/32, a second CEPA decision was adopted at COP 9 on the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) (decision IX/33). The COP encouraged all Parties to create National Committees, including representatives of indigenous and local communities, to celebrate the Year and invited all international organizations to mark this event;

The COP also decided to transmit to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for its consideration and adoption at its sixty-third ordinary session the draft resolution on the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) in 2010;

The draft resolution included an invitation from the UNGA to the Secretary-General to consider appointing, before 2010, an Honorary Ambassador for the Year; Also, it was suggested that as a contribution to the Year the UNGA also decide to convene at its sixty-fifth session, in 2010, a one-day high-level segment on biodiversity. COP 10 adopted decision X/18 on Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA).

COP invited Parties to further improve CEPA activities with the full and effective participation of all stakeholders, including Indigenous and Local Communities (ILC). The Informal Advisory Committee on CEPA was invited to work to develop indicators and guidelines for survey methodologies on public awareness, which would later be used in national, regional and subregional assessment of the state of public awareness on biodiversity;

Parties were requested to continue and further improve communication, education and public awareness activities for promoting awareness and education using a variety of goals including:

• the goals included in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020,
• the framework of the Agenda for Action; and
• the proposed United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, with the full and effective participation of all stakeholders, including indigenous and local communities;

Parties were requested to report back to the Secretariat their findings before COP 11 with the aim of indentifying priorities for the CEPA Programme of Work;

Parties were also requested to provide to the Secretariat detailed accounts of their Biodiversity celebrations for inclusion in the final report to be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during its 66th session.