A/RES/63/219 Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 3 and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 4 (the “Rio Conventions”), while respecting their individual mandates, concerned by the negative impacts that loss of biodiversity, desertification, land degradation and climate change have on each other, and recognizing the potential benefits of complementarities in addressing these problems in a mutually supportive manner with a view to achieving the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2F 3F Acknowledging the contribution that the ongoing work of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, of the World Intellectual Property Organization, can make in enhancing the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Noting the contribution that South-South cooperation can make in the area of biological diversity, Expressing deep appreciation to the Government of Germany for hosting the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its fourth meeting serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and welcoming the offer of the Government of Japan to hold the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and its fifth meeting serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, in 2010, Taking note of the reports of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 5 4F Noting the efforts of the Life Web initiative promoted by the Government of Germany and other countries, Noting also the holding in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from 10 to 12 November 2008, of an ad hoc intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder meeting on an intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, convened by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Noting further the initiative launched at the meeting of the environmental ministers of the Group of Eight in Potsdam, Germany, in March 2007, to develop a study on the economic cost of the global loss of biodiversity, Takes note of the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on 1. Biological Diversity on the work of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention; 6 5F 2. Encourages developed countries parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity1 to contribute to the relevant trust funds of the Convention, in particular so as to enhance the full participation of the developing countries parties in all of its activities; 0H Urges all Member States to fulfil their commitments to significantly 3. reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010, and emphasizes that this will require an appropriate focus on the loss of biodiversity in their relevant policies and _______________ 3 Ibid., vol. 1954, No. 33480. Ibid., vol. 1771, No. 30822. 5 Available from http://millenniumassessment.org. 6 A/63/294, annex III. 4 2