Second OAS Meeting of IABIN Experts
January 27-28, 1998, Washington, DC

Final meeting report

The meeting took place at the OAS offices. The Director of the OAS Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (USDE) welcomed the participants on behalf of the OAS in its role as coordinator of Summit follow-up activities. He reviewed the accomplishments of the first experts, meeting (October 6-7, 1997) and wished the participants success in their tasks ahead. He also mentioned the fundamental importance of a secure financial base for the long-term success of IABIN. Ambassador Sarah Horsey-Barr, of the U.S. Mission to the OAS, welcomed the participants in her role as chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable Development of the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) and said that she planned to inform members of her committee of the results of this meeting. She referred to IABIN as a "vision with an agenda for hemispheric cooperation" on biodiversity decisions. She also expressed the hope that the upcoming meetings of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), 25-26 March 1998, and the Inter-American Commission on Sustainable Development (CIDS), 9-10 July 1998, would consider a resolution noting the advances in achieving actions called for in Initiative 31 of the Santa Cruz Action Plan.

Dr. Braulio Dias of Brazil chaired the meeting. He stated his belief that IABIN is a biodiversity initiative consistent with the Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) and the mandates of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and approved at the highest levels of government through the Summit of the Americas process. The task at hand now, according to Dr. Dias, is to develop initiatives at the regional, subregional, and national levels. These should include both governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Brazilian Government's offer to host the next IABIN meeting of experts is a continuation of this open initiative. It was Dr. Dias' hope that the current meeting would produce specific actions to launch IABIN at the meeting in Brazil.