Harmonization of national reporting – an overview of the key issues Peter Herkenrath, UNEP-WCMC

1. Harmonization of national reporting – an overview of the key issuesPeter Herkenrath, UNEP-WCMC Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

2. Content • National reporting: Obligations, purpose, challenges • History of the harmonization discussion • Obstacles to harmonization • Options for harmonization • The way forward Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

3. National reporting • A key requirement of nearly all multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) • Most MEAs: provision in convention articles • Legally-binding obligation for Parties Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

4. Purpose of national reporting • Demonstrating compliance • Overview of implementation • Assessing effectiveness of implementation • Stocktaking & future planning • Informing on status & trends of biodiversity • Supporting decision-making • Identification of interaction with other processes Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

5. Managing biodiversity knowledge Implementation • Information Reporting Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

6. Challenges to national reporting • Reporting burden: multitude of reporting obligations • Duplication: same information produced several times for different processes • lack of cooperation and coordination • Lack of information or lack of access to information • All often resulting in non-reporting Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

7. Harmonization: a short history • Feasibility Study for a Harmonized Information Management Infrastructure for Biodiversity-related Treaties (UNEP-WCMC, 1998) • WCMC Handbooks on Biodiversity Information Management (1998) • Cambridge workshop (UNEP & UNEP-WCMC, 2000) • Pilot projects: Ghana, Indonesia, Panama, Seychelles (UNEP/UNEP-WCMC 2001-2003) • Haasrode workshop (2004) on pilot project results (Belgium, UK, UNEP-WCMC, 2004) • UNEP – MEA secretariats Knowledge Management project (2006-08) • Streamlining reporting by Pacific Island Countries (DEWHA, SPREP) • An Action Plan for Harmonization of Reporting to Biodiversity-related Conventions in the ASEAN Region Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

8. Recent COP mandates • CBD: VIII/14, VIII/20, IX/19, X/10, X/20, X/33 • CITES: Decision 14.38 (Rev. CoP15) • Ramsar: Resolutions IX.5, X.11, XI.6 • CMS: Resolutions 8.11, 8.24, 9.4, 10.21 • International Treaty on Plan Genetic Resources for Food & Agriculture: Resolution 2/2011 • UNCCD: Decision 8/COP.9 Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

9. Challenges to harmonization • Long evolution of convention-specific reporting formats • Different reporting cycles • Some conventions require very specific information (CITES annual reports) • Different ministries and agencies involved • Availability and accessibility of information required Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

10. Promising tools & approaches • Identification of and agreeing on information needs and sources • Joint reporting portals • Core report • Joint thematic reporting • Online reporting • Streamlining at the national level Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

11. Identification of and agreeing on information needs and sources • Define the information needs (resolution X.14: A framework for Ramsar data and information needs) • Internal information sources (national reports, indicators) • External information sources (scientific institutions, NGOs) • Next step: Identify the overlaps for Ramsar and CBD • Potential decision: Who collects what information (harmonized but not joint reporting) Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

12. 2. Joint reporting portals • Collaborative Partnership on Forests Task Force on Streamlining Forest-related Reporting: Forest Portal • Access to forest-related information from reporting to various conventions and processes • Search national reports by process (e.g. MEAs) or country • See what information other processes are requesting • See what your country has reported to other processes • Not operational anymore Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

13. 3. Core report concept • The model of the human rights conventions: • A common core report for all the treaties • Smaller treaty-specific reports • Addresses the issue of different reporting cycles • Adapted version applied in streamlined reporting project in Pacific Island Countries Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

14. 4. Joint thematic reporting • Joint reporting templates for issues of joint concern; examples as discussed by MEAs: • Inland water ecosystems (CBD & Ramsar) • Dryland biodiversity (CBD & UNCCD) • Migratory species (CMS & Agreements) Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

15. 5. Online reporting • Relevance for harmonization: Pooling web-based tools could facilitate harmonization • Exists for Indian Ocean South-East Asia Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (IOSEA), African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), CMS • In development for CITES (biennial reports) [& Ramsar] • UNCCD: Performance Review and Assessment of Implementation System (PRAIS) Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

16. 6. Streamlining at the national level: Experience from Rio Reporting Project • “Piloting Integrated Processes and Approaches to Facilitate National Reporting to Rio Conventions” (FNR_Rio) • Three Rio Conventions: Biodiversity (CBD), Desertification (UNCCD), Climate Change (UNFCCC) • GEF project, implemented by UNEP, executed by UNEP-WCMC • Pilot countries (LDCs and SIDS): Afghanistan, Eritrea, Lao PDR, Liberia, Palau and Mauritius • THREE OBJECTIVES: • Integrated data/information management nationally • Increased synergies in reporting • Improved planning & decision-making for implementation Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

17. 6. Streamlining at the national level: Key lessons from Rio Reporting Project and other processes • Coordination & cooperation at national level • Management of environmental data & information • Stakeholder involvement • Option for collaboration through updating of National Biodiversity Strategies & Action Plans (NBSAPs) through the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 • Testing of a joint reporting format: found useful Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

18. Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

19. Conclusions and outlook for harmonization • National level: • Key issues: coordination & data management • Regional level: • Support Parties in implementation & reporting • Gather experience from Parties & inform the global (MEA) process with lessons and insights • Develop a roadmap for harmonization (CARICOM, SPREP) • Global level: • Feed in Parties’ experience • Address reporting burden • Promote harmonization and synergies Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia

20. The global environment is naturally synergistic • United Nations University. 1999. Inter-Linkages – Synergies and Coordination between Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Tokyo. Workshop on harmonization of reporting, St Lucia