Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Clearing-House Mechanism Issues Olivier de Munck CHM Programme Officer, CBD Secretariat Clearing-House Mechanism Meeting on Biodiversity Information Systems in Support of Policy Development European Environment Agency June 2010 Copenhagen, Denmark

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 2 Content Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 3 COP Decisions on CHM CHM implementation guided by decisions of the CBD Conference of the Parties (COP) Overview of COP Decisions on CHM I/3Establishment of the CHM II/3Pilot Phase & CHM NFP (before Feb. 1996!) III/4Technical Guidance, Funding & CHM-IAC IV/2Technical Guidance, Funding & Request Review V/14CHM Strategic Plan & Longer-Term Prog. of Work VI/18Technical Guidance, Use & Request 2 nd Review VII/23Technical Guidance & CHM-IAC Procedures VIII/11Updated Strategic Plan and Programme of Work IX/30Technical Guidance for Enhancing Implementation (National, Regional & Central CHM)

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 4 What is the Clearing-House Mechanism? Information exchange platform of the CBD Created to promote scientific and technical cooperation (established in accordance with Art. 18.3) The COP, at its first meeting, shall determine how to establish a clearing-house mechanism to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation 3 Strategic Goals 1.Facilitate technical and scientific cooperation 2.Promote information exchange 3.Develop a network of partners Evolved into a global network of websites consisting of: National CHMs Partner organizations CBD website

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 5 COP 9 - CHM Decision IX/30 Based on draft decision in document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/23 Objective: Enhance implementation despite limited resources Available on-line at Guidance at all levels Paragraph 2 for Parties Paragraph 3 for Partners Paragraph 4 for Donors Paragraph 5 for Financial Mechanism (GEF) Paragraph 6 for Executive Secretary (SCBD)

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 6 Decision IX/30 for Parties 10 points to encourage Parties to establish strong and sustainable national CHM: a)Designate a CHM NFP (decision II/3) with appropriate expertise b)Prepare a CHM implementation strategy as an NBSAP component c)Develop the CHM for NBSAP implementation and review d)Develop links between the CHM and existing networks, and exchange mechanisms with national databases e)Establish a national coordination structure for the CHM f)Mobilize and allocate resources to implement and sustain the CHM g)Define roles and responsibilities for information and website management h)Identify national information sources and promote them, starting with contacts and biodiversity information i)Use of the CHM as a public outreach and dialogue tool j)make the CHM website available in national or local languages

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 7 Decision IX/30 for Partners 3 points to encourage partners holding biodiversity-related information to: a)Designate an appropriate technical contact or focal point b)Investigate ways to make their information accessible through the CHM c)Contribute to the establishment of regional or thematic CHM : - to provide support to national CHM - to share knowledge - to facilitate scientific and technical cooperation

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 8 Decision IX/30 for Donors & GEF 2 paragraphs to request resources for developing countries 4.Invites Parties and other donors to provide resources to enable developing country Parties to carry out the above activities 5.Urges the Global Environment Facility and other donors to continue to provide funding to developing country Parties for the establishment and maintenance of their CHM

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 9 Decision IX/30 for SCBD (1/2) 11 points for SCBD: 5 to strengthen the central CHM (a to f) 6 on support support and collaboration (g to k) a)Gradually build a knowledge base on references and other information b)Provide collaboration tools to enable Parties to maintain contact, share ideas and brainstorm on implementation c)Provide an analysis about a potential on-line submission system for sharing knowledge and experiences, and develop a prototype for review and comments d)Establish common formats and vocabularies e)Strengthen the Secretariat's capacity in areas related to the CHM (information technology, website, knowledge management and other modern information services) f)Improve the Convention's website, its accessibility, and make this website available in all United Nations languages

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 10 Decision IX/30 for SCBD (2/2) 11 points for SCBD: 5 to strengthen the central CHM (a to f) 6 on support support and collaboration (g to k) g)Provide guidance and support to Parties to assist in the establishment of their national CHM, including through national and regional organizations, and based on the special capacity-building needs of developing countries h)Further collaborate with key partner organizations (MEA. GBIF, UNEP, Regional, Tech-Transfer, 2010 Indicators, CEPA) i)Take into account the IYB strategy (decision IX/33) when developing CHM services j)Consider the role of the CHM in analyses prepared for revisions to the Strategic Plan beyond 2010 k)Facilitate cooperation between the CHM-IAC and the CEPA-IAC in order to further develop the CHM as a tool for CEPA

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 11 Activities Website Maintenance and Enhancements Content update & review Development of web portals Web page translation On-line systems Knowledge Base Collaboration tools Submission system Information & Knowledge Management SCBD initiative UNEP IKM initiative for MEA CHM Network & Partners Regional partners National CHM implementation

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 12 Activities - Website Content update & review Daily update and maintenance Ongoing review process New web templates under review ( Development & maintenance of web portals Programme requests (IYB, GBO3, Biodiversity for Development, Meetings, LifeWeb) Web page translation Use of modern technology (translation memory, XLIFF) Optimization of limited resources Objective: 6 UN languages

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 13 Activities - On-line Systems Knowledge Base (KB) Agreement with BCH team to customize BCH model for CHM Detailed functional specifications for phase 1 (core infrastructure with basic formats & vocabularies) Ongoing implementation by BCH ICT team Submission system To be integrated in KB specifications as update mechanism Unified system for all information types Collaboration tools Mostly discussion forums upon request Aichi-Nagoya International E-Conference on Post-2010 Target Need for collaboration tools integrated in KB (phase 2)

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 14 Activities - Knowledge Management SCBD Initiative KM Team Internal KM Audit report with recommendations Specialized KM resources needed (post COP 10) UNEP Information & Knowledge Management for MEAs Facilitate information & knowledge exchange among MEAs MEA-wide Analytical Index Interoperability for MEA-wide search Proof-of-concept to justify a second phase Challenges in building a global vocabulary/thesaurus for MEAs

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 15 Activities - CHM Network Collaboration with CHM Regional Partners ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Belgian Partnership EEA National CHM implementation Guidance through workshops and upon requests Questionnaires on national CHM implementation

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 16 Lessons Learned (1/3) Lessons learned in several areas: 1.Resource Management 2.Information & Knowledge Management 3.Website 1.Resource Management High-level commitment and support is a key success factor at all levels (national, regional, partners, SCBD). Appropriate human resources are always the ultimate determining factor for successful implementation (even with available funding). SCBD has limited resources to implement IX/30. Some Parties may be in a similar situation.

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 17 Lessons Learned (2/3) 2.Information & Knowledge Management (IKM) There may be a big difference between a recommended IKM strategy document and what could realistically be implemented. Requires appropriate institutional and operational arrangements. Well-defined procedures, terminology and other standards are needed for successful implementation. Be selective and professional in compiling and preparing content. Irrelevant content is a waste for both the producer and the future users. Web 2.0 services provide an excellent supporting infrastructure for collaboration and information exchange (eg. Google Data API, Atom Feeds, OpenSearch). The CHM should make specific recommendations on how to use these services for exchanging information and knowledge. A lot of explicit knowledge sharing can be achieved through simple information types (contacts, references, projects, facts, links, events).

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 18 Lessons Learned (3/3) 3.Website Think carefully about the website structure. Visual appearance matters. - Modern website design tend to be very clean and attractive. - use pictures, videos (on YouTube) and Maps (Google Maps) Quick navigation matters. Provide only a few pages with key services. Avoid lengthy menus and eliminate pages with little added values. Use a good well-known CMS with extensions and multilingual support. The Search Engine is important, but the presentation of results is also important. Google is powerful but has its limits (no internal DB search and raw output). Simple user account creation and profile management is important. Translation is always a challenge.

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 19 COP 10 Preparation Report on CHM implementation National level Global level Analysis Updated CBD Strategic Plan Issues & Recommendations Draft Decision Role & Mission Post COP-10 activities

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 20 COP 10 - CHM Progress Report Central CHM Overall programme Establishing central services National CHM Establishing strong & sustainable national CHM Questionnaires Lessons Learned Importance of high-level support & institutional arrangements Correlation between capacity & results Positive impact of regional cooperation

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 21 COP 10 - CHM Vision Annex of WGRI Recommendation III/9 (paragraph 22) Knowledge for Implementation Collectively those involved in implementing the Convention have a wealth of experience and have developed many useful good practice cases, tools and guidance. There is additional useful information beyond this community. Biodiversity Knowledge Network A biodiversity knowledge network will be developed including a database and network of practitioners, to bring together this knowledge and experience and to make it available through the CHM to facilitate and support enhanced implementation of the Convention. Effective National CHM Websites National CHM nodes comprising networks of experts with effective websites should be developed and sustained so that in each Party, all have access to the information, expertise and experience required to implement the Convention. Interconnection between Central & National CHM websites National CHM nodes should also be linked to the central CHM managed by the CBD Secretariat, and information exchange between these should be facilitated.

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 22 COP 10 - Issues & Recommendations CHM Vision Assumes strong central & national CHM nodes In line with CHM decision IX/30 Need to ensure that resources & expertise match vision Capacity Issue at CBD Secretariat Major increase in CBD Secretariat initiatives  ICT unit not equipped to respond to web development requests  CHM left without adequate capacity to implement CHM needs sustained web development capacity. Improve translation of "Clearing-House Mechanism" Notion of "information exchange mechanism" French: "centre d'échange d'informations" Spanish: "mecanismo de intercambio de información"

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 23 COP 10 - Draft Decision Role & Mission Implementation support mechanism Knowledge and information exchange to facilitate cooperation and implementation. Consistent with CHM mandate / Adjust mission statement Important to match mandate with sustained capacity Post-COP 10-activities Consistent with decision IX/30  continue ongoing activities Expand Knowledge Base & other on-line services Encourage regional support

Global CHM Issues Background COP 9 Activities Lessons Learned COP 10 Final Comments Content EEA, Copenhagen June 2010 – Slide 24 Final Comments COP 10 is important for the CHM To learn from past activities & experiences To align the CHM to the new CBD strategic Plan The EEA and & EU countries remain important partners for the CBD and its CHM Major contributions to the CHM network Can positively influence the CHM future Questions & comments? Thank you

Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Global Clearing-House Mechanism Issues Olivier de Munck CHM Programme Officer, CBD Secretariat Clearing-House Mechanism Meeting on Biodiversity Information Systems in Support of Policy Development European Environment Agency June 2010 Copenhagen, Denmark