Millennium Assessment called upon to help meet assessment needs of the CBD

Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Decisions taken at the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP 6) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which was held between 8–20 April 2002 in The Hague Netherlands, further strengthened collaboration between the CBD and the MA. Under no fewer than five decisions, the MA is directly called upon by the parties to provide assessment information and assistance, with a specific request to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice to review the findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and provide recommendations to the Conference of the Parties based on the review.

MA Board Co-Chair Prof A H Zakri, director of UNU/IAS, delivered a statement on 8 April 2002 to the delegates of COP-6. On behalf of the working groups of the MA, he requested guidance from the COP and SBSTTA regarding assessment priorities and the preparation of synthesis reports.