Archives
Barcelona Convention COP 21 and its Protocols
Delegates to the Barcelona Convention adopted 14 decisions—one on the programme of work and budget for 2020-2021, and 13 thematic decisions, including on governance, an emissions control area for sulphur oxides, and marine pollution from land-based sources.
3rd Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP3)
The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury focused on achieving the smooth functioning of an international treaty body as well as substantive and technical issues aimed at fostering action to address mercury production and use around the world.
23rd Meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 23) and 11th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8J 11)
Delegates focused on the role of indigenous peoples and local communities and addressed links between nature and culture for the development of the post-2020 framework. Delegates also addressed the scientific and technical base of the post-2020 framework.
2020 Ocean Pathways Week
As time ticks on towards the 2020 UN Oceans Conference, participants sought out synergies between SDG 14 (Ocean Action) and biodiversity, with one participant calling for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to “stop seizing on the obvious and look at what science is telling us."
World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments and World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders
The UCLG World Summit is the largest gathering of mayors, councilors, presidents of local associations, and local and regional practitioners, from around the world. Deliberations at the Summit will help chart the course of the UCLG over the next three years, and shape its contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the first review of the New Urban Agenda in 2020.
8th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Parties to the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture met to address a range of policy, implementation, cooperation, and administrative matters of relevance to the Treaty and its Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing, but they were unable to adopt a package of measures to enhance the functioning of the MLS.
31st Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP 31)
Delegates to the 31st Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol successfully completed five days of negotiations, with the most pressing agenda items—terms of reference for the study on the 2021-2023 replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, the unexpected emissions of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11), and the areas of focus for the 2022 quadrennial assessment reports of the three Assessment Panels—requiring careful negotiation to balance different parties’ agendas.
Resumed 9th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (OWG-EFMLS-9) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The Working Group was unable to bridge positions between the developed and the developing world. Deep principled divergences remained, in particular on benefit-sharing payments from use of genetic sequence data. Co-Chairs Hans Hoogeveen (Netherlands) and Javad Mozafari (Iran) will hold informal consultations immediately prior to the Governing Body (GB) session to be held from 11-16 November 2019 in a final attempt to reach consensus.