WCC 2020 Res 120 - Activity Report

Continued from above.
TThe focal point will be discussing this agenda with Drs Siikamaki and Vergez in the next few days, with a view to finalising details of the presentations. The forums will be taking place from June to October 2024. Feedback from the forums will be written up into a report for submission to Council, with suggestions for next steps for the implementation of the Resolution.

Since July 2023, Nicholas Conner, the CEESP focal point for Resolution 120, has established a natural capital task force of CEESP and CEM representatives, plus an independent advisor and member of the Secretariat, based on terms of reference agreed with the CEM and CEESP chairs. The main aim of the task force is to identify areas of consensus and contention among CEESP and CEM members, and report to Council on what steps are needed to progress development of an IUCN policy on natural capital. Selected CEESP and CEM members were invited to join the task force by the commission chairs. The focal point sent our short questionnaire to the task force members, but only received limited response, Several other factors delayed progress until October 23, when the Task force lead presented the background and aims of Resolution 120 to the CEM Steering Committee meeting in Sydney. This meeting provided a valuable opportunity for discussion about the original intention of the resolution with its drafter and proposer Dr Johnny Hughes. Following this meeting, the CEESP focal point and the CEM focal point (Dr Simone Maynard) developed a draft questionnaire for distribution to a wider IUCN commission membership. While this issue is being explored, the focal point has been in discussions with the IUCN Secretariat Natural Capital focal point (Dr Juha Siikamaki), who has proposed that the upcoming IUCN regional forums can provide a valuable opportunity to present the background, and aims of the resolution, and gain feedback on the appropriateness of its 21 underpinning principles. Dr Siikamaki and colleague Dr Antonin Vergez have developed a comprehensive draft agenda for a 90-minute presentation to regional forums, to obtain feedback from forum attendees on their views about the suitability of the principles. T