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To maintain momentum ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity Summit on 30 September 2020 and COP 15 in 2021, the CBD convened a series of special virtual sessions. It began with bad news for global biodiversity. The launch of the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, a final report card on progress against the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets adopted in 2010 with a 2020 deadline, starkly announced that none of the targets will be met.

Following more than a decade of discussions convened under the United Nations General Assembly, the Assembly, in resolution 72/249 of 24 December 2017, decided to convene an IGC on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction with a view to developing a legally binding instrument as soon as possible.

During this virtual meeting, the Committee finalized its work on two industrial chemicals: decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds. The CRC agreed to recommend that the Conference of the Parties (COP) list both industrial chemicals in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. 

The online meeting featured robust discussions on what more the Basel Convention should do on plastic wastes, waste lead-acid batteries, and transboundary e-waste shipments.

This online technical session addressed the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) Replenishment Task Force’s (RTF) report on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for 2021-2023, which is essential to the continued success of the Montreal Protocol in phasing out ozone depleting substances and greenhouse gases.

The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is the platform that monitors the progress to achieving the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at global, regional and national levels. It identifies challenges, shares lessons learned and searches for solutions. The 2020 HLPF will be held from 7 to 16 July 2020 under the theme “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.” Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions, this year’s HLPF will be entirely virtual. ENB is providing coverage of selected side events during the 2020 HLPF.

Given the considerable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human health and the global economy, this year’s meeting convened on the originally planned dates but was held virtually. The agenda was adjusted to focus on the potential impact of the pandemic on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Virtual event discusses role of smallholder farmers in promoting land restoration activities, with subsessions on: soils and the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration; soil organic carbon, and how smallholder farming communities benefit from carbon sequestration projects; and measuring progress on gender and land tenure. 

The Global Environment Facility Council's 58th meeting appointed a new CEO and Chairperson. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica's Environment and Energy Minister, will lead the GEF, with Naoko Ishii leaving after eight years. The GEF Council also agreed a work program with resources totaling USD 645.4 million. The GEF Council met online for the first time due to COVID-19.