9 February 2023

Notification: 2023-009

Dear Madam/Sir,

The purpose of this notification is to invite Parties to the Nagoya Protocol to nominate an expert for the Informal Advisory Committee to the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House.

The Informal Advisory Committee (IAC) was established by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (COP-MOP), in decision NP-1/2, paragraph 2, to assist the Executive Secretary with the implementation of the Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing-House (ABS Clearing-House) and to provide technical guidance with respect to the resolution of technical and practical issues arising from the ongoing development of the ABS Clearing-House. The decision provides that the IAC shall be composed of 15 experts, primarily from Parties, selected on the basis of nominations provided by Parties.

The Informal Advisory Committee will hold at least one meeting and informal online discussions, as needed, during this intersessional period 2023-2024 and report on the outcomes of its work to the fifth meeting of COP-MOP in 2024. It is expected that the meeting of the IAC will be held in early 2024; the exact date and venue will be communicated in due time.

Taking into account the growing number of Parties to the Nagoya Protocol, the composition of the IAC will be renewed for this new intersessional period based on nominations from Parties. Accordingly, Parties to the Nagoya Protocol are invited to nominate one expert who should have knowledge of the Nagoya Protocol, access and benefit-sharing and the ABS Clearing-House or related information-sharing and knowledge management systems. 

The nomination should be submitted through an official letter signed by the ABS National Focal Point, together with the completed nomination form attached and the curriculum vitae of the nominee.  In line with decision 14/33, nominees are also required to complete the interest disclosure form.[1]  Nominations should be sent by e-mail to secretariat@cbd.int as soon as possible but no later than 31 March 2023. Based on the nominations received, members of the IAC will be selected on the basis of their expertise and taking into account the need to ensure fair and equitable geographical distribution, as well as gender balance.

Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

Executive Secretary

 The text of this notification is also available on the CBD website at: https://www.cbd.int/doc/notifications/2023/ntf-2023-009-abs-en.docx 

[1]  Available at: https://www.cbd.int/doc/forms/conflict-interest-form-en.pdf