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Meeting of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC) – 17-21 January 2005, New Delhi, India

India, which was invited to chair the group of Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), during the Seventh Conference of Parties (COP7) to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in Feb. 2004, hosted the following three meetings in New Delhi from 17 to 21 January 2005.

• Expert Meeting of Like Minded Megadiverse Countries on access and benefit sharing, to be organized by IUCN on 17th and 18th January 2005.
  
• Expert Meeting to discuss the GEF Project on Megadiverse Knowledge and Policy Network for Biodiversity Sustainable Development, to be coordinated by UNDP on 19th January 2005.
  
• Expert and Ministerial level Meeting of Like Minded Megadiverse Countries on 20th and 21st January 2005.

Seventeen countries rich in biological diversity and associated traditional knowledge have formed a group known as the Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC). These countries are Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela. The LMMC Group, which holds nearly 60-70% of all biodiversity, is now well recognized as an important negotiating block in the UN and other international fora.

Below please find UNDP’s summary report of outcomes of the meeting and associated relevant documents.

Summary Report

Attachments – Documentation from the LMMC Meetings

General Documents:

1. Agenda of meetings
2. Slides expanding on meeting agenda
3. List of Participants
4. Photos of various sessions of the LMMC meetings
   

   •	Opening of Like-Minded Megadiverse Group Meeting, Delhi, January 2005
   •	McNeille and Balkrishna and Megadiverse Poster in Delhi, January 2005
   •	India's Minister of Environment Raja, Joint Secretary Verma, IUCN Balakrishna, UNDP's C McNeil at Megadiverse Meeting January 2005
   •	Government of India, IUCN & UNDP Staff Supporting the Megadiverse Meeting January 2005
   •	Closing of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries Meeting

5. Ads on LMMC meeting in ‘The Times of India’, ‘The Indian Express’, and ‘Hindustan Times’ on 20 January 2005
6. Article on LMMC meeting in ‘The Indian Express’ on 21 January 2005

Documents from Expert Working Group, 17-18 January 2005:

7. UNDP’s Remarks by C. McNeill at Opening of Session, 17 January 2005
8. IUCN slides on ‘Emerging Issues in Conservation, Management and Sharing of Biological Diversity: Focus on ABS, IPRs and TK’
9. IUCN slides on ‘Bonn Guidelines and International Regime: Elements and Emerging Issues’
10. Draft slides on ‘Negotiation of an International Regime on ABS’
11. Outcomes Report of Group Work on I. National Experiences, II. User Measures and Certification Systems, III. Linkages between ABS, TK and IPR

Documents on GEF MSP on KPN:

12. GEF Project Development Fund, Block A (PDF A) proposal on the KPN
13. Alberto Glender’s presentation on the KPN
14. Chris Cosslett’s ‘project framework’ for the KPN
15. Notes from LMMC’s discussion of KPN on 18-19 January 2005

Documents on Megadiverse Cooperation Fund (MCF):

16. Terms of Reference for the ‘UNDP Trust Fund for Support to the Group of LMMCs: The Megadiverse Cooperation Fund’
17. ‘Proposal for a Megadiverse Cooperation Fund, Annex 1'

Documents from Ministerial Session:

18. ‘New Delhi Declaration of LMMC on ABS’
19. Remarks by India’s Minister of Environment, Hon. Thiru A. Raja, in Concluding Session of the LMMC, 21 January 2005
20. UNDP’s Remarks by C. McNeill at Closing of Ministerial Session, 21 January 2005
21. UNEP’s statement to the LMMC, delivered by Dr. Nehemiah Rotich

Background:

22. Invitation by the Government of India to UNDP

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