Summary
The second meeting of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG) resumed negotiations on the zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) on Tuesday, with delegates providing general remarks on its content. In the afternoon, delegates gathered for the first contact group to negotiate the organization and language of the goals, and to gather views on the language for the GBF mission. The contact group was co-chaired by Rosemary Paterson (New Zealand) and Vinod Mathur (India).During lunch, delegates attended an information session on the outcomes of the First Global Dialogue on Digital Sequence Information (DSI), which took place in Pretoria, South Africa, 6-8 November 2019. Gaute Voigt-Hanssen (Norway) provided an overview of how the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) addresses DSI and stressed the need to better inform negotiators on issues around genetic resources and digital sequences.Elizabeth Karger (Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH) outlined the use of DSI for biodiversity conservation as well as commercial uses. She also presented models of benefit-sharing developed during the dialogue, including bilateral and multilateral benefit-sharing, and benefit-sharing arising from subscription fees/levies. Suhel al-Janabi (ABS Initiative) noted that the models are not mutually exclusive, adding that the goal of the dialogue was to analyze possible approaches to deal with DSI. Lactitia Tshitwamulomoni (South Africa) summarized key points from the dialogue, including that: more dialogue is necessary, including at country, regional, and sectoral levels; the models require further engagement by various stakeholders; and resource mobilization is required for broader issues beyond benefit-sharing.In the evening, the second contact group co-chaired by Wadzanayi Goredema-Mandivenyi (South Africa) and Gabriele Obemayr (Austria) met to negotiate the organization and language on targets on reducing threats to biodiversity.After a first day of general statements and appreciation for the efforts taken to deliver a zero draft, delegates entered the second day of negotiations with expectations of tackling what some referred to as the substance of the GBF. As negotiations proceeded in two contact groups, participants expressed the need to leave the second WG with a simplified, yet ambitious GBF that is coherent with the objectives of the CBD and other global goals. Yet, many agreed that this is no easy feat as simplicity and ambition are not synonymous. While some cautioned that ambition needs to be commensurate with parties’ implementation ability, others argued that a specific goal on means of implementation is necessary to support the level of desired ambition. As contact group discussions on threats to biodiversity advanced into the night, some delegates, noting the continued pursuit for perfection, urged for flexibility to avoid paralyzing the process.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage. Α summary and analysis report from the 2nd Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is available in HTML and PDF.
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Plenary Session
Contact Groups
Information Session: Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
