2013

January: First IPBES meeting
First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Bonn, Germany (CvW)
January: UNEP Expert Group on Participation
Participation at the UNEP Expert Group on Participation in Geneva, Switzerland, after the mandate for UNEP to establish such a group was decided at the RIO+20 conference
February: Meeting with VDW on IPBES
Meeting with Reiner Braun, Executive Director of the Federation of German Scientists (WDV) in Emmendingen, Germany, on involvement with IPBEs, and especially on cooperation with modern scientific approaches and their transdisciplinary cooperation with other forms of expertise and knowledge systems.
February: Meeting withVDW on areas of cooperation
Meeting with Prof. U. Bartosch, President of the Federation of German Scientists (VDW), Ernst von Weizsäcker (Präsident of the Club of Rome), and Christine von Weizsäcker (President ef Ecoropa) in Emmendingen, Germany to identify crucial areas of work and potential cooperation.
February: Student Sustainability Conference
Student Sustainability Conference of the University of Lüneburg, Germany, with a keynote speech from Christine von Weizsäcker on Present State of International Negotiations
March: Meeting of the Working Group on biodiversity of the German NGO Forum Environment and Development
Meeting of the Working Group on biodiversity of the German NGO Forum Environment and Development in Bonn, Germany
March: Annual Meeting of Environmental Award Winners
Meeting of Claus Biegert, Treasurer Ecoropa, and Christine von Weizsäcker on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of Environmental Award Winners in Freiburg
March: Strategy meeting on the EU Draft Directive implementing the Nagoya Protocol
Strategy Meeting and Workshop on EU Draft Directive implementing the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing in Brussels, Belgium organized by Sandrine Bélier, Rapporteur of Environment Committee of the European-Parliament
April: Workshop on Participation Strategy for IPBES
Workshop on a Participation Strategy for the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Paris, France, organized by UNEP, IUCN and ICSU
May: WECF Board of Trustees
Women in Europe for a Common Future Board of Trustees meeting with Christine von Weizsäcker as president, in Utrecht, Netherlands
June: 20 Years Anniversary of the NGO "More Democracy"
20 Year Anniversary of the German NGO Mehr Demokratie (More Democracy), fighting for public referenda in Germany, in Fuldatal, Germany, in which Christine von Weizsäcker gave a keynote on New Technologies and Democracy and participated in a panel on Energiewende by and with Citizens
June: Workshop on Public Participation at IPBES
Participation at the workshop Public Participation at IPBES: The Stakeholder Engagement Strategy in Bonn, Germany, organized by Nefo, WWF, Diversitas, and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research
July: Meeting with the Honary President of Ecoropa
Meeting between Freda Meissner-Blau, Honorary President of Ecoropa and Christine von Weizsäcker, Ecoropa President, in Velden, Austria
August: Meeting of Ecoropa members
Meeting between the Ecoropa members Hermann Hatzfeldt, Ernst von Weizsäcke and Christine von Weizsäcker in Bonn, Germany
September: European expert meeting in preparation for SBSTTA (Vilm meeting)
European Expert Meeting in Preparation of the 17th Meeting of SBSTTA, at the International Naturschutz-Akademie on the Isle of Vilm, Germany, organized by the German Federal Agency for the Protection of Nature
September: Experts Meeting on Socio-Economic Considerations in Biosafety
Participation in the expert meeting on Socio-economic Considerations in Biosafety in preparation of the Meeting of the Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organised by Third World Network
October: Convention on Biological Diversity: Working Group on Article 8(j) & SBSTTA17
Participation in the Eigth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8j 8) and the 17th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technological and Technical Advice (SBSTTA 17) of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada. (CvW, HP, RS)
November: GENET Annual Meeting
Annual meeting in Paris, France, of the Information Service on Genetic Engineering(GENET) of which Ecoropa is an organisatorial member.
December: WECF Board of Trustees
Women in Europe for a Common Future Board of Trustees meeting with Christine von Weizsäcker as president, in Utrecht, Netherlands
December: Stakeholder Day in preparation of IPBES 2
Participation in the Stakeholder Day in preparation of the Second Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES 2), in Antalya, Turkey.
December: Second IPBES meeting
Participation in the Second Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES 2), in Antalya, Turkey, which focused on a fast track assessment on Pollinators, to assess the impact of agricultural chemicals (neonicotinoids etc), agricultural practices, land use patterns, global markets, and GE plants on the rapidly declining populations of pollinators, and on Land Degration; as well as negotiating the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy.

Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their Utilisation

Background and Analysis

The fight against biopiracy and its injustice was the main impetus for the push to have an international treaty to be developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Convention's third objective of fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic resources is itself the result of tough negotiation in the early 1990s when the misappropriation, even theft, of the resources of developing countries and of indigenous peoples and local communities gained international attention.