The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will hold three meetings concurrently that “are critical to developing an effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF)”  in the words of the Convention’s Executive Secretary, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema. She highlighted “the responsibility to ensure that an effective GBF is successfully negotiated, and that urgent action is taken to implement it,” given that continued biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation have profound consequences in human societies and will pose an existential threat to future generations.

The CBD’s two subsidiary bodies, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) will convene, along with the Open-ended Working Group on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (WG2020). 

The two subsidiary bodies held the first parts of their current meetings (SBSTTA-24 and SBI-3) virtually in May and June 2021. The first part of WG2020-3 took place virtually from 23 August-3 September 2021. These sessions were suspended with the understanding that they would resume in person when the COVID-19 pandemic allowed, to finalize negotiations on the GBF and adopt recommendations for the second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference, which is supposed to convene in Kunming, China, later this year.

Following a final postponement, which moved the three meetings from January 2022 to March 2022, the disruption in the normal schedule of CBD meetings appears to be over. The concurrent convening of the resumed in-person meetings of the three bodies will enable an interactive dialogue, which, according to many participants, is necessary to reach a “package deal” on various items under negotiation and accomplish the shared goal. The common main objective of the meetings is to contribute to a robust GBF draft, which is expected to be finalized and agreed upon during the second part of the UN Biodiversity Conference. The first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference convened virtually from 11-15 October 2021, with a limited number of delegates physically present in Kunming, China. The meeting addressed budgetary and procedural matters, and included a high-level segment, which adopted the Kunming Declaration.

SBSTTA-24 is expected to contribute to the development of the GBF, including by incorporating conclusions from the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, discussing the GBF’s monitoring framework, and providing the scientific and technical information necessary to support the review of goals, targets, indicators, and baselines. Other issues on SBSTTA-24’s agenda, all linked with the GBF, include:

• Synthetic biology;
• Marine and coastal biodiversity;
• Ecologically or biologically significant marine areas;
• Biodiversity and health;
• Invasive alien species;
• Risk assessment and risk management; and
• The programme of work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

During the first part of SBI-3, discussions on the GBF focused on developing: a communication strategy; the implementation plan and capacity-building action plan for the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety; a draft outline for a post-2020 gender plan of action; and other elements for the development of the GBF, including a decision on the periodicity of meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) beyond COP16. Other items on the agenda for SBI-3, directly or indirectly linked with the GBF, include:

• Review of progress in the implementation of the Convention;
• Review of the effectiveness of the processes under the Convention and its protocols;
• Resource mobilization and the financial mechanism;
• Mechanisms for reporting, assessment, and review of implementation;
• Capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation, technology transfer, knowledge management, and communication;
• Mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors;
• Specialized international access and benefit-sharing instruments in the context of Article 4.4 of the Nagoya Protocol;
• Global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism (Article 10 of the Nagoya Protocol); and
• Cooperation with other conventions, organizations, and initiatives.

WG2020-3 deliberations will focus on the first detailed GBF draft, addressing reports from the co-leads of five contact groups on:

• Goals, milestones, and overall structure;
• Reducing threats for biodiversity;
• Tools and solutions for implementation and biodiversity mainstreaming;
• Nature’s contributions to people; and
• Digital sequence information on genetic resources.

After 22 months of delay, the conditions finally allow for an in-person meeting. The urgency to address the underlying issues has only increased over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The three meetings will resume in person, in Geneva, from 14-29 March 2022.