To: all interested representatives of media and press, and all interested delegations to the 5th Ministerial Conference on “Environment of Europe”, 20-23 May 2003, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Invitation to press briefing on the issue of biodiversity financing

Dear Madam, Sir,

It is our pleasure to invite you to a press briefing on financing biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in Europe.

The press briefing is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 22 May, at 15:40 at the UNEP/ECNC/IUCN joint biodiversity stand in the exhibition area. The briefing will be directly after the Ministerial debate on biodiversity.

The press briefing panel will include high-level representatives of a number of governments and international finance institutions to provide you information on their activities and plans in the field of banking and biodiversity, which is of major importance for halting the decline of Europe’s biodiversity by 2010.

Sir Brian Unwin, president of ECNC and Honorary President of the European Investment Bank, will chair the press briefing.

Below you will find some additional information on the topic of the press briefing and the invited representatives of institutions and governments.

Registration

Please inform us of your participation in the press briefing. This will allow us to send you the final programme and inform you of any changes - You can register by sending an E-mail or fax to Agnes Bruszik at ECNC Central and Eastern European Regional Unit (e-mail: ecnc@nextra.hu or phone/ fax: +36 1 355 36 99). During the Conference, you can contact her on GSM-0031653691866 or by visiting the UNEP/ECNC/IUCN joint biodiversity stand in the exhibition area.

Topic of press briefing

The proposed Kyiv Biodiversity Declaration of the Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” includes the following key target on Financing Biodiversity:

“By 2008, there will be substantially increased public and private financial investments in integrated biodiversity activities in Europe, via partnerships with the finance and business sectors, that have resulted in new investment opportunities and facilities as outlined by the European Biodiversity Resourcing Initiative, taking into account the special needs of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.”

Under the framework of the European Biodiversity Resourcing Initiative (EBRI), as mentioned in the key target, a number of important steps towards fulfilling this key target have been taken.

These steps include the establishment of a European Task Force on Banking, Business and Biodiversity, consisting of stakeholders from financial and other economic sectors, governments, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. The Task Force met on 1 April 2003 in London at a meeting hosted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and convened by ECNC as secretariat of the Task Force.

Decisions of Task Force

The Task Force decided to prioritise the development of the following actions:

· a European Biodiversity Finance Facility, under the lead of EBRD, involving other interested parties, including EIB, Rabobank Nederland, interested governments and NGOs. In order to further elaborate the concept, a Biodiversity Financing Facility Working Group was set up, consisting of the following partners: EBRD, EIB, UNEP Financial Initiatives, SECO, Rabobank, Deutsche Bank, ECNC, Fauna and Flora International
· a European Partnership on Banking, Business and Biodiversity of parties that would like to express their voluntary commitment to work actively towards the Kyiv Biodiversity finance target by signing a statement of intent.

Besides these activities, other objectives will be put into place, including:

· a European biodiversity resourcing portfolio, based on transparent criteria that comply with the main stream programmes and investment lines of finance institutions and mechanisms;
· a European Clearing House Mechanism on Banking, Business and Biodiversity;
· the assemblage and enhancement of expertise and experience at international organisations, in the financial sector and at NGOs on bankable biodiversity-relevant projects and programmes, with a seminar scheduled for the autumn of 2003 in Budapest as a first event.

The Task Force decided, based on the recommendation of the PEBLDS Council representative from the Russian Federation, to propose to the Bureau of PEBLDS the introduction of Debt for Nature Swaps in one or more NIS countries, provided that a number of basic conditions are met, such as transparency in institutional arrangements and financial management, and that DNS arrangements would not prejudice the possibility of unconditional debt relief.

Tentative programme of press briefing

Opening and introduction by the Chairman, Sir Brian Unwin, ECNC President, EIB Honorary President, and President of the European Task Force on Banking, Business and Biodiversity.

The following representatives will be invited to deliver very brief statements:

· a high level representative of the Swiss delegation to the Kyiv Conference, one of the leading countries on European biodiversity resourcing;
· a high level representative of the delegation of Slovenia, co-chairman of the Ministerial Biodiversity Segment and holding the Presidency of the Council of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy
· Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, or Frits Schlingemann, Director and Regional Representative for Europe, of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
· Head of delegation of the European Bank on Reconstruction and Development
· Head of delegation of the European Investment Bank
· a representative of the World Bank

Questions from members of the press and media