In this discussion, members of the sub-group are invited to identify (i) which general issues highlighted in the testing of the Guidance may be incorporated or improved upon, and (ii) whether or not any of the topics for additional guidance, as prioritized by the previous AHTEG, could also be incorporated during the revision process.
To facilitate the discussion, the Secretariat prepared and made available two background documents (available at http://bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/RA_ahteg_subgroup/):
- an Excel file containing the general comments provided through the testing of the Guidance and subsequently grouped into category B;
- an Word file containing the list of topics prioritized by the previous AHTEG for the development of further guidance.
In identifying the general issues and topics that may be incorporated or improved upon during the revision of the Guidance, as appropriate, members of the AHTEG sub-group are invited to focus on the “big picture”, taking into account the relevance and impact of each issue/topic in improving the Guidance, rather than going into detail of how that could be done. Members of the sub-group may also wish to consider assessing the feasibility of their proposals particularly when identifying new topics to be incorporated in the Guidance.
In other words, the AHTEG sub-group is invited to identify on which issues and topics the AHTEG could best focus its efforts with a view to revising the Guidance in an efficient manner, taking also into account the inherent challenges in the process, including time limitations, divergence of views, and the fact that it works primarily online, etc.
This discussion is crucial in the revision of the Guidance as its outputs will pave the way for all future steps in the process.
This discussion will take place from 30 March to 13 April 2015 at 1:00 a.m. GMT (i.e. for countries west of the Greenwich meridian, the discussion will close on the night of Sunday, 12 March 2015).
