World Wide Views 2 on Biodiversity is an ambitious global citizen consultation on global biodiversity policies and actions, involving 40 countries and leading up to the UN Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, COP13, in 2016. It is the successor to World Wide Views on Biodiversity, the first-ever global citizen consultation on biodiversity, successfully organized in 2012, and involving 3000 citizens at 34 citizen consultations in 25 countries. It was co-initiated by the Danish Ministry of Environment and the UN Secretariat of the Convention.

The results were presented and discussed at the 11th UN Conference (COP11) in Hyderabad, India, in 2012. The results offered policy makers a unique and in-depth insight into the views of ordinary citizens on some of the issues that they needed to make decisions about. Interestingly, citizens were generally more supportive of strong political action against the decline in biodiversity than their policy makers.

The initiative was very well received at COP11. There was widespread support among decision-makers, interest groups and international organizations for organizing World Wide Views citizen consultations on biodiversity on a regular basis, leading up to future COP’s throughout the UN Decade on Biodiversity, in order to continue and expand the dialogue between citizens and policymakers on how to deal with the decline in biodiversity.

A COP decision (X1/2 – 24) was made, encouraging

parties, relevant organizations and stakeholders to support and contribute to communication initiatives, such as the World Wide Views on Biodiversity, which combine the implementation of Strategic Goals A and E regarding mainstreaming of biodiversity, participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity-building.

Given the widespread support for the initiative, partners in the World Wide Views Alliance have been fundraising for World Wide Views 2 on Biodiversity to take place either in 2016, leading up to COP13 or later, depending on funds raised. The tentative budget is 3.5 mill Euro, which would include the participation of 40 countries. Experience tells us that the most important first step is to secure funding for the coordination activities forming the backbone and infrastructure of the project (1.32 mill Euro), but contributions to secure the participation of developing countries and economies in transition would also be most welcome.