High Level Regional Dialogue on the Integration of Biodiversity in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DRANIBA)

Healthy ecosystems are essential to increase the resilience and sustainability of agricultural production, which must seize on biological processes without increasing biodiversity loss and with it, a decrease in the provision of ecosystem services related to food production, nutrition, water and health.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a series of instruments and tools that promote sustainable development, some of which related to biodiversity and that can contribute to the implementation of the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity.

The United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity, (comprise by the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and meetings of its subsidiary instruments), was held from December 4 to 17 of 2016 in Cancun (Mexico). Its main theme was on the "Integration of biodiversity for well-being", with emphasis on the agricultural, forestry, fisheries and tourism sectors and the positioning of biodiversity in national and subnational policies and programs of other sectors, indicating actions to be taken by parties, the private sector and other relevant actors. The above mentioned actions, were to promote the integration of biodiversity in the productive sectors, as a means to achieve the objectives of the CBD, including the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, among other relevant international agreements1.

In Decision XIII/3 of COP 13, the CBD welcomed the Biodiversity Integration Platform created by FAO, to build bridges between sectors, identify synergies, harmonize objectives and develop integrated cross-sectoral approaches, to mainstream biodiversity in agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors. Subsequently, at the 40th Session of the FAO Conference in July 2017, the agency in collaboration with its partners, (CBD and other UN Organizations), was requested to facilitate, the structured and coherent integration of measures for the conservation, sustainable use, management and restoration of biological diversity in all agricultural sectors 2 at the national, regional and international levels.

Following this request, FAO and the CBD Secretariat organized the Multistakeholder Dialogue on Biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural sectors, last May in Rome. It facilitated intersectoral discussions on the integration of biodiversity in all agricultural sectors aiming towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Participants recognized the need to develop a long-term vision on how biodiversity integration should be addressed, to achieve sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition. In addition, they asked FAO to facilitate regional and intersectoral dialogues in order to identify opportunities to implement processes for the development of policies, legislation and research.

During the 35th FAO Regional Conference, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in March 20183, the participating countries, led by the Government of Mexico, requested FAO to organize a regional dialogue following the Dialogue held in Rome, as a contribution for the preparation of a FAO Strategy on biodiversity. Mexico had already reiterated the interest in hosting a High Level Regional Dialogue on the Integration of Biodiversity in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DRANIBA) during the First Strategic Dialogue for coordination between FAO and the Government of Mexico held on June 15, 2018 in Rome.

Considering these events of global and regional importance, FAO and the Government of Mexico join efforts to organize the High Level Regional Dialogue on the Integration of Biodiversity in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DRANIBA). Ministers and Vice Ministers of the productive sectors and environment, (or equivalent), are expected to attend this event, encouraging an inter-sectoral dialogue for the preparation of a document with elements for the development of a biodiversity strategy, with regional priorities identified, to be presented to FAO, including a working roadmap with actions to support LAC Countries in the integration of biodiversity in the agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors, and potential funding mechanisms. These results are to be submitted as an information document within the framework of the 14th Parties Conference from the CBD (COP-14) in Egypt.

Objectives
DRANIBA will offer an inter-sectoral exchange and discussion forum addressing issues of sustainable production in the agricultural, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors with mainstreaming biodiversity criteria that contribute to the sustainable use, conservation, restoration and preservation of biodiversity in the region.

To this purpose:

• The national biodiversity strategies from LAC Countries will be reviewed, identifying opportunities that allow undertaking collaborative actions among the different invited sectors.
• FAO in the region will support mainstreaming biodiversity criteria across sectors, including technical documents, methodologies, code of conduct, tools and training.

Target audience
The Dialogue expects approximately 100 participants attending the event. At least 66 government representatives (1 authority from the agricultural sector and 1 from the environmental sector; at Vice-minister levels, from each of the 33 participating countries), internationally recognized experts on biodiversity issues, and participants from the private sector, small rural producers and civil society, as well as CBD special guests, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), among others.

Expected products
The DRANIBA Final Report will be submitted and presented by Mexico - as the outgoing president of the session during COP 14 of the CBD in Egypt from 17 - 29 November 2018, listing inputs for the preparation of FAO biodiversity strategy for its mainstreaming across the mentioned sectors, including:

 

• A regional report identifying efforts for incorporating and conserving biodiversity into productive systems, as the first contribution to the post-2020 biodiversity framework to be adopted at COP 15 of the CBD in China.
• A roadmap to support LAC Countries on mainstreaming biodiversity in the productive sectors (agriculture, forestry, livestock, aquaculture and fisheries).
• An exchange from participating countries on resource mobilization, including resources from the GEF-7, under the "Biodiversity focal area", "Food systems, land use and restoration" and "Landscape Restoration" Impact programs.

Structure of the meeting
Two-days meeting. See attached the preliminary agenda.