Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Pursuant to decision X/46, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) will be held in Hyderabad, India, from 8 to 19 October 2012.

COP 11 will include a high-level ministerial segment organized by the host country in consultation with the Secretariat and the Bureau. The high‑level segment will take place from 17 to 19 October 2012.

This meeting will take place during the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB) as declared by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 65/161. The United Nations Decade on Biodiversity will serve to support and promote implementation of the objectives of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Its goal is to mainstream biodiversity at different levels. Throughout the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, governments are encouraged to develop, implement and communicate the results of national strategies for implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings.

To date the CBD COP has held 10 ordinary meetings, and one extraordinary meeting (the latter, to adopt the Biosafety Protocol, was held in two parts). From 1994 to 1996, the Conference of the Parties held its ordinary meetings annually. Since then these meetings have been held somewhat less frequently and, following a change in the rules of procedure in 2000, will now be held every two years. To date the Conference of the Parties has taken a total of 299 procedural and substantive decisions.

The Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was held in Nagoya, Japan (18 - 20 October 2010). The Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties will take place in Hyderabad, India in October 2012.

http://www.cbd.int/cop/