Oceania Regional Conservation Forum
Great Council of Chiefs, Suva - Fiji, 13-15 July 2015
Annotated Provisional Agenda
The forum provides a platform for members to deliberate on concerted efforts to the realization of a just world that values nature. It also provides an opportunity for IUCN Members and selected representatives from IUCN Commissions in Oceania to prepare for the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress.
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Constituent meetings (TBC)
Monday, 13 July 2015
Great Council of Chiefs Meeting Complex
08.30 – 11.30 Opening Session
The Oceania Regional Conservation Forum (ORCF) will be officially opened on Monday morning 13 July 2015 and will feature a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony. It will also include:
- Prayer and blessings on the meeting;
- Statement by the IUCN Oceania Regional Director Taholo Kami;
- Welcoming by the IUCN Director General Inger Anderson;
- Introduction of Chief Guest by the IUCN Councillor Andrew Bignell;
- Opening remarks by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji;
- Vote of Thanks;
- Invitation to refreshments.
11.30 – 12.15Morning Tea
12.15 – 12.30Organization of the Meeting
There will be a brief session to explain and endorse the agenda and the organizational arrangement for the meeting, the outline of the Regional Conservation Forum agenda, the format and expected outcomes of the meeting.
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
12.30 – 13.00Session 1:IUCN Oceania Programme Review 2012 - 2015
Members and Commission members will hear from the IUCN Regional Director, Taholo Kami on the journey of IUCN in Oceania over the past three years. Discussions will address achievements, challenges and the aspiration of the organization as it prepares for the intercessional programme for the next four years.
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
Presenter: Taholo Kami, IUCN Oceania Regional Director
13.00 – 14.00Lunch
14.00 – 15.30Session 2:IUCN Intercessional Programme 2017 – 2020[1]
This session will focus on explaining and understanding the draft IUCN Intercessional Programme 2017-2020. The objective is to affirm IUCN’s One Programme approach. It also provides an opportunity for Members and Commission members to deliberate and obtain inputs and feedback from the draft Programme prior to its endorsement at the 2016 World Conservation Congress (WCC). Issues to be discussed include:
- Dissemination of knowledge on the science, policy and practice of conservation, and the equitable and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources;
- Identify mechanisms and make concrete arrangements for Members and Commission members involvement in the implementation of the IUCN Programme at the global, regional, national and sub-national levels (the ‘One Programme Charter’);
- Identify key global biodiversity issues that warrant in-depth debate during the Members’ Assembly at the 2016 Congress e.g. Environment Law, Valuing Nature.
Chair:Professor Brendan Mackey, IUCN Councillor
Presenter:Taholo Kami, IUCN Oceania Regional Director
15.30 – 16.00 Break – Afternoon Tea
16.00 – 17.30 Session 3: IUCN Oceania Regional Plan[2]
In this session, the forum will discuss and agree on the draft IUCN Oceania Programme of Work. The plan will show how IUCN Oceania Regional Office will apply and implement the global programme during the intercessional period at the regional level. Members and Commission members are encouraged to discuss and agree to the plan. Feedback will be provided from plenary. Members and Commission members take up the challenge to support and promote the implementation and delivery of the Regional Programme of Work.
Chair: Professor Brendan Mackey, IUCN Councillor
Presenter:Mason Smith, IUCN Oceania Regional Programme Coordinator
18.00 – 21.00Reception (TBC)
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Great Council of Chiefs Meeting Complex
08.30 – 09.00Inspirational Reflections
09.00 –10.00 Session 4: IUCN towards 2020
Members and Commission members will hear from the IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen on her vision for IUCN. What this means for IUCN Oceania and how Membership can be engaged to realize this vision. The Director General will also take the time to brief the Membership on the Framework Action to Strengthen the Union (FASU) and how this vision fits into the Intercessional Programme 2017-2020 and thereafter. A question and answer session in plenary will also be featured.
Chair:Ana Tiraa, IUCN Councillor
Presenter: Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General
10.00 – 10.30 Morning Tea
10.30 – 11.30 Session 5: The Commission & National Committees
In this session, the Commissions and National Committees will present and profile the work they have undertaken in their respective areas of expertise and focus. The objective of this session is to encourage greater collaborationacross the Regional Office, the Commissions and Oceania members - the One Programme approach.
Presenters include:
- Ms Aroha Mead – Chair of Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP)
- Justice Antonio Benjamin –Chair of World Commission Environmental Law (WCEL)
- Dr Simon Stuart – Chair of Species Survival Commission (SSC)
- Dr Neil Gilbert –Chairof the New Zealand Committee of IUCN
- Dr Paul Sinclair – Chair of the Australian Committee for IUCN (ACIUCN)
- Mr Peter Smith – Regional Chair of Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM)
- Ms Penelope Figgis – Vice Chair of World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
Chair: Ana Tiraa, IUCN Councillor
11.30 – 13.00 Session 6:IUCN Governance Part I
(Plenary & Breakout Sessions)
The opportunity for Members to familiarize themselves with the preparations for and the rules for the conduct of the Members’ Assembly will be presented. Members will discuss and provide inputs and feedbacks on proposals from Council or Members for improvement and reforms to Governance.
- Presentation and breakout discussions on Indigenous People’s Organisations – facilitated by Aroha Mead, CEESP chair;
- Presentation and breakout discussions on Local and Regional Governments and Authorities – facilitated by Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor;
- Presentation and breakout discussions on the Authority of Council – facilitated by Ana Tiraa, IUCN Councillor.
- Presentation on Framework Action to Strengthen the Union (FASU) - TBC
Report back to plenary – finalise feedback for conveyance to Council.
Plenary Chair: Ana Tiraa, IUCN Councillor
13.00 – 14.00Lunch
Side Event: Why and how should we use traditional knowledge in Red List assessments?
Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) and Species Survival Commission (SSC), Breakout Room 2.
14.00 – 15.30Session 7:Governance Part II - Update of the Motions Procedures, Nomination of Councillors Resolutions Platform
In this session, Members will hear of changes to the Rules of Procedures particularly those which deal with the motions process. This session will also look at the following issues:
- Proposed changes in the election of the IUCN President. Council is considering introducing a second round of voting in case none of the candidates obtain a 50% majority in both voting categories.
- Amendments to the IUCN Statutes and rules of procedures that will be put to a vote by Members in October 2015. These amendments deal with:
- accreditation process for Congress; and
- simplification, harmonization and alignment of dates and deadlines following the electronic vote on the revised motions process
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
Presenter: Enrique Lahman, Union Development Group Director
15.30 – 16.00Session 8: Biodiversity Offsets & Climate Change Policy Options
IUCN is developing a biodiversity offsets policy and the IUCN Council. It is critical that members are informed what Biodiversity is about and what it entails. Biodiversity offsets are measurable conservation outcomes resulting from actions designed to compensate for significant residual adverse biodiversity impacts arising from development plans or projects after appropriate prevention and mitigation measures have been taken.
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
Presenter:Professor Brendan Mackey, IUCN Councillor
16.00 – 16.30Break – Afternoon Tea
16.30 – 17.00 Session 9:The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – Why Members should be engaged
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), IPBES provides a platform for engagement and involvement on science and policy at the international level. What are the benefits of this engagement to Members and how they should they be engaged.
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
Presenter:Laurence Perianin, IPBES Programme Officer
17.30 – 20.30 Side Event
Pluralism in Biodiversity Conservation: The Role of Environmental Law and Policy.
World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) and IUCN Oceania Regional Office (ORO), Great Council of Chiefs Members Lounge.
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
Great Council of Chiefs Meeting Complex
08.30 – 09.00Session 10:Raising the bar in the Pacific
In this session, we will hear about sustainable development in the region and will call on the commitments of members to help the smaller island states in this regard particularly given the increasing challenges of climate change and disaster risks.
Chair:Professor Brendan Mackey, IUCN Councillor
Presenter:TBC
09.00 – 10.00 “Planet at the Crossroads” – the 2016 World Conservation Congress
In this session, a presentation will be made on preparations for the 2016 World Conservation Congress (WCC) and what this means for Members. How IUCN Oceania will be organised during the WCC and how wecan maximise the opportunity to discuss issues at the global level which are significant to the region. Members will also hear how the IUCN Oceania Regional Office plans to prepare and mobilise the region as the build up to the WCC.
Chair:Professor Brendan Mackey, IUCN Councillor
Presenter: Enrique Lahmann, IUCN Union Development Group Director & Taholo Kami,
IUCN Regional Director
10.00 – 10.30 Morning Tea
10.30 – 13.00 Session 11: Motions Process
The session presents the process for the preparation and presentation of proposals for motions. It is an opportunity for the region to highlight significant issuesand allows for synergies of ideas for proposals.
Chair: Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
Side Events:
- Healthy Parks, Healthy People – Break out room 2
- Union Portal Demonstrations and use for new members – Breakout room 3
14.00 – 15.00 Session 11:Other Regional Matters (TBC)
15.00 – 16.00 Session 12:Concluding Remarks
Realising the One Programme Charter in Oceania, Working Together toaddress other pressures to Conservation.
Concluding Remarks from IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen.
Chair:Andrew Bignell, IUCN Councillor
Remarks: Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General
16.30 – 17.00 Break – Afternoon Tea
END OF FORUM - 18.00 – 21.00 Island Night at Fiji Museum
[1]Members are encouraged to read the draft Intercessional Programme 2017-2020 before attending the meeting;
[2]The regional programme/ plan will be distributed by the end of June.