European ECO-Forum Delegation Joint Statement on 2nd Intergovernmental Conference “Biodiversity in Europe”, Budapest, 26 February 2002 NGOs participating at the Second Intergovernmental Conference "Biodiversity in Europe" welcome the recommendations on providing sufficient financial recourses and developing efficient financing mechanisms for biodiversity conservation in Europe. We welcome the financial support and political commitments of those few countries, intergovernmental agencies and NGOs that have supported PEBLDS, but express our concern that most governments of Europe continue to fail in financing PEBLDS and other regional CBD implementation mechanisms and activities in Europe. There is a need for partnerships between different Stakeholders for resourcing Biodiversity. Furthermore, national governments should prioritise increased funding for biodiversity. We believe that the actions proposed require true commitment to meet the urgent and practical concerns of Europe and most notably the CEE and NIS countries. 1. We urge all delegates to assure an increase in the financing of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, as this is currently inadequate to meet the priority needs of Europe (esp. CEE and NIS). Governments must promote concrete actions and partnerships involving governments, banks and NGOs alike such as the European Biodiversity Initiative, clearly and demonstrably within the framework of the CBD. 2. We welcome the outcome from the European Biodiversity Resourcing Initiative at the EBRI workshop in Geneva, December 2001. A timetable for practical action should now be agreed in Budapest. 3. We welcome other regional initiatives including the EU ones, as well as the concept of biodiversity resourcing focus for the NIS of the OECD Environmental Action Programme for CEE but urge that they integrate biodiversity, especially in TACIS Programme. 4. We urge the EU to ensure that adequate resources are available for implementing EU Biodiversity Strategy. 5. NGOs are willing to share their experience of multistakeholder cooperation and contribute in identifying priority bankable projects on biodiversity. Donors should create a working mechanism for considering comments of all stakeholders. Capacity building methodology should correspond with criteria and objectives of the banking and governmental donors through exchange and secondment of NGOs to Banks. 6. We urge governments, international agencies and banks to provide transparency and timely access to information on proposed and ongoing projects and initiatives that could impact biodiversity, in spirit of the Aarhus Convention. 7. We urge governments to take the necessary steps to mainstream biodiversity and ensure its integration into sectoral policies in Europe, notably adequate tools for impact assessment in biodiversity. Furthermore governments should ensure a friendly investment climate and taxation policies for biodiversity conservation at all levels. 8. We urge governments to promote "debt for nature swap" schemes that worked successfully for some CEE countries as an important tool for financing biodiversity related projects. 9. There is a clear need to develop micro-credit programs for sustainable agriculture that include small grants components for biodiversity restoration. NGOs are willing to actively participate in this process and promote them. 10. GEF is an important funding mechanism. It should be a major instrument for biodiversity projects. However, the mechanism is exceptionally slow and cumbersome. The project funding and implementation procedures need to be simplified and speeded up without loosing the checks and assessments in place. NGOs call on governments to address this problem in the upcoming GEF GA in Beijing. 11. Project portfolio containing clear, concise, transparent information on appropriate funded projects should be prepared in partnership with donors and recipients in order to match funds with priority needs. The projects should be targeted on biodiversity conservation in CEE and the NIS. Criteria of project portfolio should demonstrate cohesive links to existing strategies, priorities and scientific validation. 12. NGOs urge governments to review and replace present funding instruments and programmes, which have a negative impact on biodiversity. The funds thus released should be reinvested into sustainable and biodiversity friendly programmes. (e.g. Common Agriculture Programme reform). We call upon the CBD COP-6 to consider our recommendations. |
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