Joint Meeting of Bern Convention SFPs and CMS MIKT on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds (MIKT 3)

The second Joint Meeting of the Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points (SFPs) on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds and the CMS Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT) will take place from 8 to 10 May 2019 at the Castelporziano Presidential Reserve in Rome, Italy, thanks to the generous offer from the Italian Government. This second joint meeting is in parallel the third MIKT meeting.

The Bern Convention and the CMS Secretariats have joined forces to organize this Meeting that will bring together members and observers to MIKT and the Special Focal Points on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds, under the Bern Convention.

The meeting will provide an update on the work implemented to combat Illegal Killing of Birds (IKB) in the Mediterranean since the last Joint Meeting of the Bern SFPs Network and the CMS MIKT, in 2017.

The meeting will open on Wednesday, 8 May 2019 at 9:00 and will close on Friday, 10 May 2019. On Saturday, 11 May 2019, in celebration of the World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), participants at the meeting are formally invited to the IKB Open Talks followed by the 7th concert for migratory birds performed by the Bologna Operatic Choir Lirica San Rocco, in downtown Rome. Detailed information on the IKB Open Talks and the 7th WMBD Concert will be provided to participants.

The CMS Secretariat aims at supporting the maximum participation of MIKT members and observers to the Meeting. Resources are available to support the participation of one official representative of each eligible country according to applicable UN rules. Requests for assistance should be indicated on the pre-registration form. As funds are limited, participants are urged to consider attending the meeting at their own cost, even if eligible to receive financial support. Travel support for eligible countries will be subject to timely registration and submission of valid credentials

The wonderful venue, the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano, has especific security requirements. At the entrance gate, security checks will be carried out for the safety of all visitors. The admission badge is only to be used by the person to whom it has been isssued. All persons seeking access to the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano will be checked, and a high level of safety and security is guaranteed by the national law enforcement agency, Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri.

Goals of the Meeting

The meeting aims to assess progress in addressing IKB in the Mediterranean, and to evaluate the first implementation of the Scoreboard to Assess the Progress in Combating Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Wild Birds, which took place in 2018. The Joint Meeting will discuss addressing IKB in the Mediterranean beyond 2020, as both the Tunis Action Plan 2013-2020 (TAP) and the MIKT Programme of Work 2016-2020 (POW) will end in 2020. Furthermore, the meeting will consider and prepare contributions in the form of policy documents to CMS COP13, which will potentially feed into the post 2020 biodiversity framework.

Background

Illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds (IKB) has been a growing concern over the last decades in the Mediterranean region. In response to this threat, in 2014 the 11th Conference of the Parties to CMS adopted CMS Resolution 11.16 (Rev. COP12) to establish the Intergovernmental Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT). MIKT members and observers have been actively working towards the eradication of the illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds. This will be the 3rd meeting of the Task Force, after a first in Cairo in 2016 and a second in Malta in 2017.