As CMS COP 13 and its associated meetings get closer, the Secretariat is pleased to inform Parties and other registered participants of a number of issues:

Badges for Entry to COP13 Venue 

All delegates are strongly encouraged to collect their badges from the Registration tent on 15 or 16 February.    

• Access to the Champion Night and reception on 16 February (see below) on the evening of 16 February will only be possible to those with a conference badge.  

• Given the tight security surrounding the opening ceremony on 17 February, the registration tent will be closed from one hour before opening, for some hours. All those who have not yet checked in at the registration tent and collected their badges will not be able to attend the opening ceremony. If possible, the registration tent will be opened early on the morning of 17 February, but lines could be quite long. We will announce on the CMS COP13 website, at a later date the exact opening times for the registration tent on the 17^th.  

Accommodation for Funded Delegates

Funded delegates are reminded that they must book and pay for their own accommodation, as they will receive full DSA.  For hotel options, see the  Factsheet, on the CMS website.   

Opening of COP on 17 February

All delegates must be seated in the plenary room by 08h30 on 17 February, or will be excluded from the opening session. Therefore, further to the instruction above, even those that registered on previous days, should arrive early on the 17^th, to allow time to pass through security and take their seats before 08h30. Please monitor the CMS COP13 website for further instructions.   

Credentials

Please remember to bring the original copy of your delegation’s credentials to registration. 

Stakeholder Dialogue

A Stakeholder Dialogue will be held on Saturday, 15 February from 14.30 to 16.30 hrs at the Seminar Hall 4 of the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre. Please note that while the original plans for this important dialogue had to be changed due to unforeseen circumstances, the Government of India has kindly arranged to organize the event.

This event aims at stimulating a discussion among representatives of governments, international and national organizations and local communities on perspectives regarding the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and CMS priorities.

The event is open to all COP participantsholding a Conference badge. Further information will be made available shortly on the COP13 webpage. For any questions about this event, please contact Ms. Sonali Ghosh, [email protected].

High-Level Segment

The High-level Segment of CMS COP13 will be held on Sunday, 16 February from 14.00 to 18.00 hrs at the Seminar Hall 4 of the Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre, and will feature a special dialogue on CMS priorities for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. 

The High-Level dialogue will engage ministers and other senior officials of governments, executives of international organizations and other biodiversity leaders. 

The Government of India has prepared a draft Gandhinagar Declaration on CMS priorities for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Comments on the draft may be sent to Mr. Soumitra Dasgupta, [email protected], for the Government of India, and Mrs. Laura Cerasi, [email protected], for the CMS Secretariat, prior to 13 February. Key messages emanating from the High-Level dialogue will be incorporated into the Gandhinagar Declaration, which will then be proposed by the Government of India for adoption, in the form of a Resolution, as part of the discussion under the relevant agenda item (17) during the COP.

The event is open to all COP participants holding a Conference badge. English, French and Spanish interpretation will be provided. The draft Gandhinagar Declaration and further information on the High-level Segment can be found at: www.cms.int/en/cop13/high-level-segment.

Champion Night

The Champion Night will take place on Sunday,16 February at 19.00 hrs at the Amphitheatre of the Gift City Club Hotel and will comprise an Award Ceremony of the dedicated Migratory Species Champion Programme, followed by a reception at the same venue.

The event will honor new Champions and showcase how their support has contributed to advancing wildlife conservation. The Champion Night will also highlight a number of other initiatives for which funding is needed, and participants are invited to learn about the Programme and to join it to support migratory species conservation.

The event is open to all COP participantsholding a Conference badge. For further information, please contact Ms. Laura Cerasi, [email protected].

Nominations and Elections to Subsidiary Bodies

Please note that an important agenda item at COP13 is the appointment of new regional members of the Standing Committee and the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council. The Secretariat encourages delegates to discuss this matter within the regional groups early during the week to be able to inform the Bureau by Wednesday, 19 February of the regional nominations.

As regards the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council, in addition to the regional members COP13 will also have to appoint councillors for taxonomic groups and thematic areas.  Through Notification 2019/022, the Secretariat solicited nominations from Parties for suitable candidates for the newly proposed COP-appointed Councillor subject areas (refer to UNEP/CMS/COP13/Doc.15.1for details).  By 29 January, the Secretariat has received nominations for candidates for the subject areas of Terrestrial Mammals; Connectivity/Networks; Marine Pollution; Marine Fish. No nomination has been received so far for the subject area of Invasive Species.  The Secretariat would like to encourage Parties to submit nominations before the start of COP13, for the subject area of Invasive Species.

Statements from Parties - Agenda Item 11.3

The Secretariat proposes that statements under Agenda Item 11.3 are delivered by regional groups instead of individual Parties, where possible. Please coordinate within your regional consultations to prepare a regional statement.

Catering for Side Events

Contact details for the caterer are now available on the CMS COP13 website. 

Offers to Host COP14cms

Parties are encouraged to consider offering to host COP14, and to come to COP13 prepared to mention any offers.   

Coronavirus

The Secretariat is in constant touch with the UN Department for Safety and Security, as well as the Government of India regarding this emerging issue.   The Government has put in place a number of screening measures.  Further information will be made available on the CMS website. 

Finally…

Please make sure you are familiar with the Factsheet, check the CMS website for further updates on logistics, including local transportation.  The COP13 Schedule and Annotated Agenda will be made available there in the coming days.

We look forward to seeing all of you in Gandhinagar very soon.