Third Stakeholders Steering Committee (SSC) Meeting for BioTrade [On-line]

Meeting on-line link

Webex meeting link

Next, please enter the Webex meeting number and password that has been provided by email to all participants ​Objective

Building on the achievements of the two previous editions of the Stakeholders Steering Committee (SSC) Meetings, the third SSC Meeting will aim to update the existing Roadmap in light of partners’ new projects and upcoming activities, review the process to and results for the updated BioTrade Principles and Criteria, and discuss the role and contribution of BioTrade in the Post-2020 global biodiversity framework. A full session on emerging issues will also be devoted to the Covid-19 implications on BioTrade.

In compliance with the preventive measures taken by the Swiss federal authorities and adopted by the United Nations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the third SSC meeting initially planned to be held at UNCTAD headquarters at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, will finally be a virtual event through the Cisco Webex Meetings platform.

Prior to the SSC meeting, a draft updated Roadmap will be compiled by UNCTAD, based on partners’ inputs and circulated among participants. Likewise, the meeting’s agenda and a background note for each session, as well as a logistics note with the main instructions on how to join the online meeting and use the Webex platform will be shared with all attendants beforehand. This will enable participants to dedicate more time during the meeting to plan and coordinate future joint collaborations; enhance their knowledge and understanding of relevant emerging issues in the BioTrade world such as the Covid-19 impact; and share lessons and best practices based on practical experiences.

Background

In March 2018, the UNCTAD BioTrade Initiative launched its programme “Linking trade, biodiversity and sustainable development” with the financial support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. This 4-year programme aims to contribute to the advancement of SDGs 15 and 17, and relevant Aichi targets - and the upcoming post-Aichi targets - by increasing coordination and knowledge sharing among stakeholders; creating an enabling policy environment for BioTrade companies; and facilitating market linkages for companies selling BioTrade-related products. To achieve these objectives, the programme is implemented by UNCTAD in close collaboration with its BioTrade partners and relevant stakeholders.

A central part of the programme is the Stakeholders Steering Committee (SSC), which serves as the international coordination mechanism set out under the programme to promote sector collaboration and upscale BioTrade initiatives worldwide. The SSC brings together various BioTrade partners on an annual basis to review a four-year work plan known as the Roadmap designed to set priorities, guide partners' interventions, allocate responsibilities and list areas of potential partnerships. The SSC also serves as a platform to coordinate joint initiatives, identify emerging issues, and share knowledge, lessons and good practices learned from BioTrade related activities.

Participants

The participating organizations for the third SSC meeting are: UNCTAD, SECO, CBD, CITES, ITC, MINAM, MADS, BEI, UEBT, ABS I, Helvetas, FLEDGE as well as experts. For complete list of invited participants, please see Annex 1. (Agenda)