On 8-10 November, CO-OP4CBD’s partners the French National History Museum (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle) and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science hosted a training session for the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) National Focal Points (NFPs) in Brussels, Belgium. The event was attended by 12 participants, who were mainly CHM NFPs, but some were also national experts working on the Clearing House Mechanism or Technical and Scientific Cooperation (TSC). 

The training provided a clear overview of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) operations, consultation and decision-making processes, so that experts can participate confidently in CBD events. A particular attention was paid to the Technical and Scientific cooperation mechanisms where the scientific content is woven into the finer details of the decisions.

The first day was devoted to basic-user training on the Bioland Tool, developed by the CBD Secretariat, to be used by national CHMs. Participants were able to learn about the basics of the tool and how to use it. 

The second day was devoted to an overview of the CBD's technical and scientific mechanisms. The participants were introduced to the general  framework of  technical and scientific cooperation in the Convention on Biological Diversity, and benefited from a presentation of the main existing technical and scientific cooperation mechanisms during the afternoon session. 

The third day was devoted to a networking session, which was the second meeting of the European CHMs network.

This was the 5th event organised by the project and the last one for 2023. See our news section to catch up on our other events and follow us on X and LinkedIn to learn first about our upcoming events!

Image: The participants in CO-OP4CBD’s training session / Credit: RBINS