Highlights and images for 1 August 2026

The final day of SBSTTA 28 was marked by a concerted effort to consolidate a heavy week of negotiations and advance discussions as far as possible before the meeting's close. Rather than reopening carefully negotiated compromises in plenary, delegates largely accepted draft recommendations emerging from contact groups, recognizing them as the product of intensive negotiations and a delicate balance of “give and take.” Plenary adopted six recommendations to forward to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 17). 

Contact Groups 

The Contact Group on the Programme of Work on Protected Areas finalized its work on the draft recommendations, strengthening among others, language encouraging Parties to apply a human rights-based approach in implementing the updated Programme of Work, consistent with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Convention's provisions relating to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 

The group also agreed to encourage Parties to consider relevant assessments of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) when implementing the programme of work and to engage in preparations for the Platform's forthcoming methodological assessment on biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity (Connectivity Assessment).  

The Contact Group on Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review also completed its work agreeing to present two sets of heavily bracketed recommendations: one on the global review of collective progress of GBF implementation and the other on further enhancing planning, monitoring, reporting and review mechanisms, including the monitoring framework for the GBF. 

Plenary

During the afternoon and evening Plenary meetings, delegates adopted final recommendations to CBD COP 17 related to:  

• Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review; 
• Marine and Coastal Biodiversity;  
• Synthetic Biology;  
• Protected Areas; 
• Sustainable Wildlife Management; and  
• The IPBES work programme.  

CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker lauded delegates’ constructive spirit to advance negotiations at this meeting. She noted that this meeting was a step forward towards a successful conclusion of talks in Armenia.

In his closing remarks, SBSTTA 28 Chair Jean Brunno Mikissa lauded delegates for their dedication and hard work towards achieving the objective set at the beginning of the meeting: to collectively provide clear scientific and technical advice for GBF implementation and address the central issues to its implementation included in SBSTTA 28 agenda. He gavelled the meeting to a close at 10:30 pm.