Harare/Bonn, 24 September 2014- The Government of Zimbabwe together with the UNEP/CMS Secretariat and UNEP/DELC successfully completed the regional preparatory workshop for the 11^thConference of the Parties to CMS (COP11) held in Harare, Zimbabwe, 21-23 September 2014.

The primary purpose of this workshop was to inform National Focal Points (NFPs) on how they can advocate regional interests at COP11 in Quito, Ecuador on 4-9 November 2014.  This workshop was designed to familiarize National Focal Points with important documents and issues prior to the COP and to encourage collaboration among NFPs in the African region.  The Harare workshop is the third of four regional capacity building workshops planned in the months preceding COP11.

More than 40 participants from CMS Parties and NGOs from the African region attended the workshop.  They discussed the main topics of the COP11 agenda and learned about COP logistics. The draft resolutions on wildlife crime, landbirds and flyways as well as management of marine debris received strong support. In addition, they advocated the proposed addition of species to Appendices I and II of CMS, especially the Asiatic Lion and other subspecies, the European Roller, sharks and rays. Other key documents discussed were: the Strategic Plan for Migratory Species 2015-2023;; the proposed budget; synergies within the CMS Family Secretariats and the draft resolution on climate change and migratory species.

This training has built on skills developed during previous regional workshops held in October 2011 in Entebbe, Uganda and October 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa.  While those provided a foundation in MEA negotiations and introduced CMS Capacity Building tools, the workshop focused more on information exchange and skill development in particular for COP11. 

The CMS pre-COP11 Workshop has been made possible by funding in the framework of the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP) Strategic Cooperation Agreement (SCA) between the European Commission - DG Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). This meeting was part of a larger initiative to strengthen the participation of developing countries in CMS activities as an element of its capacity-building strategy.   

For more information and updates on the African Regional Preparatory Workshop, please contact  Francisco Rilla at [email protected]