Briefing on the CBD Resumed Sessions of SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3

About the Convention on Biological Diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity provides a global legal framework for action on biodiversity. It brings together the Parties in the Conference of the Parties (COP), which is the Convention’s governing body that meets every two years, or as needed, to review progress in the implementation of the Convention, to adopt programmes of work, to achieve its objectives and provide policy guidance.

The COP is assisted by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice, (SBSTTA), and the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI). The COP also establishes other subsidiary bodies in the form of working groups. The Open-Ended Working Group on the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework is tasked with advancing preparations for the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. This process is expected to lead to the adoption of a post-2020 global biodiversity framework during the second phase of the UN Biodiversity Conference, in 2022, in Kunming, China.

About this Session

Originally scheduled in Geneva in January 2022, the physical meetings of the resumed sessions of the twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 24), the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 3) and the Open-ended Working Group on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG2020-3) will now take place from 13 to 29 March 2022.

These meetings will prepare for the resumed UN Biodiversity Conference, which is expected to take place in Kunming, China, in 2022. The Conference will review the achievements and delivery of the implementation of the Strategic Plan and negotiate a global biodiversity framework for the post-2020 era.

At this event, the CBD Secretariat, as well as the Chairs of the subsidiary bodies and Co-chairs of the WG2020, provided an update on the preparations for the meetings in Geneva, and further guidance on the joint meetings to Parties and stakeholders.

Speakers

Summary

Welcoming Remarks | Norbert BAERLOCHER

Switzerland was disappointed to postpone the negotiation meetings that were scheduled in preparation for the coming CBD COP15. Switzerland continued to actively engage in virtual meetings, recognizing that virtual meetings can be helpful to pass information. Switzerland is glad to be able to host face to face negotiations as this is the most appropriate format.

The Swiss government is glad to support the process and the secretariat in hosting after a break of two years without any physical meetings. It is therefore an honor that we can have it here in Geneva in a month’s time. Geneva is the ideal place, having very good meetings facilities, a solid health system, particularly important at this moment. Geneva also offers environmental expertise and that explains the participation of many in today’s briefing. Geneva also has a network of missions that can support these meetings and help delegations. Thanks to a cluster of environmental facilities and environmental organizations, Switzerland has always been aware that synergies among processes are very important. We need to coordinate different processes and ensure that the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) will not just be the framework for the CBD, but for other biodiversity-related conventions, the Rio sister conventions on climate and desertification, and chemicals.

Therefore, Switzerland initiated the Bern process, inviting all these conventions to sit around the table. It aims to figure out how to make the post-2020 GBF a really comprehensive one. These conventions will have to endorse it and should already be involved while negotiations take place. Therefore, it is important these conventions can also take part in this round occurring next month in Geneva. This will help the implementation and allow to have a comprehensive view of where we commonly stand in implementing this. For the achievement of this common view, platforms to foster a holistic approach are critical. Switzerland together with UNEP and the European Union developed an instrument that is called DaRT (Data Reporting Tool for MEAs): a digital reporting tool for reporting for biodiversity-related conventions. This platform will be transparent and will allow for information exchange to help delegations and governments mutually learn from other countries’ processes.

We must have a framework focused on ambitious targets. Switzerland is supporting the 30 by 30 target, because conservation and biodiversity need space. Without space, it will disappear and we will not be able to stop the decline of biodiversity. Negotiations will go more in-depth. Hopefully, they will foster the creation of a review mechanism allowing us to learn from each other, understand where we are common and what are the contributions by each of the Parties.  This aspect was lacking in the last CBD strategic program, putting little focus on what was feasible to achieve and where do we stand in implementing at the end. After 10 years we had to realize that none of the Aichi Targets had been achieved.

The Swiss government is in favor of a broadening of finance, meaning both domestic and international money, public and private money. For this, we need to align financial flows. It doesn’t make sense to invest 50 million in helping biodiversity, but at the same time, give 200 million subsidies for activities that harm biodiversity. Therefore, it is important that both public and private investments take biodiversity into account. Switzerland is very glad to host and help bring forward the process of adopting the new GBF in Kunming at CoP15.

Update from CBD Secretariat on Preparations for Meetings in Geneva  | David COOPER

It is with a mixture of relief and excitement that we are approaching these meetings next month in Geneva. A lot of progress was made through many online meetings. Nevertheless, it seems we are only ready to move to the real negotiations when we get together in person. Therefore, the Geneva meetings will be critical in preparing for the second part of CoP15, taking place later this year. 

The main focus will be the negotiations on the post-2020 GBF, and all of the decisions supporting it. We are losing biodiversity at unprecedented rates in human history, and this is jeopardizing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is a crisis for biodiversity, but it is essentially a crisis for humanity. This was recognized by Ministers at the High-Level Segment of the first part of CoP15 which took place in Kunming last October. The Kunming Declaration recognizes the biodiversity crisis along with climate change, the health pandemic crisis and others as existential threats. It also recognized that addressing these crises requires transformative change. This is what the post-2020 GBF needs to deliver, not only for the CBD but for all Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), for the UN system, and for the whole of society.

The CBD will have these three bodies meetings in Geneva, including the Working Group on the post-2020 GBF (WG2020-3), focusing on the framework itself and the outcome framework that embodies goals and targets.  WG2020-3 also addresses this critical issue of finding a solution on digital sequence information, showing that we have the fair and equitable sharing benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. There will also be meetings of the two subsidiary bodies, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) and the Science Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBTTA), which will be negotiating a number of decisions on resource mobilization, on mechanisms for review of implementation among others. For SBI, on the Monitoring Framework, that will be a critical part of the total package to be adopted in Kunming. All three of these bodies and the interactions among them are important, the reason for which these meetings have been organized together and in an integrated manner.

The documents provided on the CBD website set out all the details of the meetings, an organization of work in the form of a timetable for those meetings. As for logistical arrangements going to be in place in light of the pandemic: the meeting is occurring in person, the face-to-face negotiations will take place in plenary and in contact groups in the meeting venue. To ensure the venue is not overcrowded there are limits on the number of people that can be in the venue at any one time, and for ensuring that all delegates have easy access, all registered delegates will also have view access through interactive platforms during all the plenaries and all the contact groups. The plenaries will also be webcast publicly. A strong set of measures to keep people safe are in place since delegates are coming from and returning to many countries and different situations. Vaccination will therefore be required, in addition to a regular series of daily testing, social distancing and masks. We are taking these issues seriously and do our best to keep people safe to reduce the risk of infection. 

The meetings themselves are resumed meetings, so they will continue from where the work of WG2020-3, SBSTTA and SBI left off last May. All three bodies initiated work on all of their agenda items, the stage where actors, Chairs and Co-Charis will point out from vary from case to case, with one or two cases we’ll be continuing the first reading, hearing statements and hearing reactions from parties and observers in plenary. Many of the issues will be addressed through contact groups, mostly contact groups that have resumed from the first session. The aim is to complete all the agenda items to work through the Conference Room Papers (CRPs), the Draft Recommendations where necessary, and then to develop and adopt the Final Recommendations to the CoPs and the MoPs in the L -Documents. These three bodies will be preparing recommendations not only for the CoP but also for the meetings of the parties at the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety.

We will start the meetings on the first day on 14 March with a joint opening plenary, after hearing statements from the Presidency and from the executive secretary, there will be an opportunity for Regional Groups and Major stakeholder groups to make general statements on the work of the three meetings. This will be the main opportunity for general statements. Meetings will then move and sequentially open each of the three bodies during the course of the remaining day and in those opening plenaries each of the three bodies will adopt their organization of work, the timetable, developed in synchrony. They will begin looking at some of the substantive items as my colleagues, Chairs and Co-chairs will set out. 

There is a lot of preparation. We are looking forward to a really productive meeting, This is where we have to see coming out of the meeting text. Maybe there may be a few brackets where there is still some disagreement, but we must see the shape of the Draft Decisions that are going to the CoPs and the MoPs and in particular the shape of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. There will be a series of side-events, some of them having virtual access as we are looking for a lot of interest from the world towards these meetings. Additionally, we very much hope for serious negotiation among parties to take us well on the road to adopting an effective and ambitious post-2020 Framework later this year in Kunming. 

Joint meeting agenda and organization of work of the resumed sessions of SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3  

Hesiquio BENITEZ DIAZ | Chair, CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice 

SBSTTA is a Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical And Technological Advice. This is a body established by Article 25 of the Convention as an open-ended, inter-governmental scientific body to provide the Conference of the Parties and, as appropriate, other subsidiary bodies, with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention. For these other subsidiary bodies like the protocols of Cartagena and Nagoya, the idea is to provide advice. So far there have been twenty-three meetings of this body more or less one each year since the existence of the Convention and SBSTTA has created about 240 recommendations to the Conference of the Parties. 

 The SBSTTA Bureau is geographically balanced in representation by the parties – two per region. The SBSTTA Chair is elected for one biennium usually, with this exception with the COVID-19 pandemic which includes two meetings of SBSSTA.

The goal for this period is to provide scientific and technical advice to the development of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, especially in the form of a Draft Monitoring Framework. This is very important to monitor the future progress of parties in the implementation of the new framework to be adopted at the CoP15. We also have the mandate to deliver fully against the established SBSTTA Program Work, including all requests of scientific or technical nature, many of which are also relevant for the implementation of the post-2020 Framework. For example, scientific biology; risk assessment on genetically modify organisms; one health; agriculture; and biodiversity. International collaboration requires to work with the World Health Organization, FAO and EBSA (Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas in the Marine Environment). The specific objective for this SBSTTA-24 resumed session is to continue and to finalize our work. 

During this very long session, three meetings will be running in parallel each of the meetings, as has its own mandate so they are linked but not mixed. It is very important for Delegations to focus on the mandates, and the documents for every meeting that are complementary, but there are specific issues to be delivered. For example, SBSTTA will be working at different stages. Advanced work is already in place for 6 L-Documents regarding: 

1. The Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, 
2. The Work of IBPES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services);
3. The Monitoring Framework;  
4. Synthetic Biology; 
5. Risk-Assessment; and 
6. Agriculture

The aim is to adopt these documents for sending to CoP15 as recommendations. To advance the progress on Draft Recommendations in terms of approval and even adoption, there are several CRP documents related to invasive species; marine EBSAs; conservation and sustainable use. Additionally, SBSTTA will work on a non-paper on health with a view to eventually approve it as a CRP and then be adopted as an L-document, and on the non-paper on the monitoring framework for it to be approved as part of Document L-3.

There will be a number of sessions with Contact Groups to address these points. In some cases, L documents are almost finalized, but for some other issues we are departing from CRP documents and for others we start from a non-paper document, requiring a lot of work.  

On the modalities of work for the SBSTTA Program we will have Contact Groups on certain issues in particular the monitoring framework, which will have a number of sessions dedicated to. Contact Groups are chaired by two geographically balanced colleagues, one from a developed and one from a developing country.

Through Contact Groups we will see how negotiations are evolving on the Framework and what are the connections with the preparation for the Monitoring Framework as this is evolving over the days in Geneva. Additionally, the colleagues of some contractors may develop and release informal concept notes on how they intend to approach the work. So, after the plenary, we will sit immediately with contact groups that will meet mainly on afternoons and evening sessions to start working to make as much progress as possible to prepare documentation that has to be approved in the corresponding planning sessions of SBSTTA. Therefore, recommendations for SBSSTA-24, including draft decisions for the CoP15 in Kunming, will address issues on the Framework, but also the different mandates we have by the CoP to SBSTTA. 

Charlotta SÖRQVIST | Chair, CBD Subsidiary Body on Implementation

Alike SBSTTA, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) is a subsidiary of the Convention, with an elected Chair for the period of the two years between the different CoPs, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, this term was longer. The work of SBI is mandated by the CoP and by the Meeting of Parties for the Protocols (MoPs), so it works on issues related both to the Convention and to the Protocols.

There are four core areas of work in SBI:

1. Review of Progress Implementation,
2. Strategic Action to Enhance Implementation.
3. Strengthening Means of Implementation
4. Operations of the Convention and the Protocols (Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefits-Sharing).

For this meeting, SBI agenda is crammed. A lot of work was done last year during the virtual session in May/June together with SBSTTA, going through almost all agenda items, but some remain to be finalized. Work continues on the next steps for the finalized one, while other ones are at different stages in the preparations.

Real progress agenda can be seen around:

• Agenda Item 3 (Review of the Progress in the implementation of the Convention and Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020);
• Agenda Item 4 (Assessment and Review of the Effectiveness of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety); and
• Agenda Item 5 (post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework): containing different agenda items as a New Gender Action Plan (in session of work since last year’s Meeting), for which a new draft will be presented. Discussions continue on the Implementation Plan, on Capacity- Building Action Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and also on a new draft for Communications Strategy.

Other Agenda Items:

• Agenda Item 6: Resource mobilization will have one part more linked to resource mobilization for the Convention and one part to be discussed about the guidance financial mechanism.
• Agenda Item 7: Capacity-building, technical, scientific operation, technology transfer, knowledge-management and communication, are the most important issues that will continue with the Contact Group agenda.
• Agenda Item 8: Cooperation with other conventions international organizations, initiatives will continue the first reading on this agenda item as it could not be concluded last year.
• Agenda Item 9: Mechanism Reporting Assessment Review of Implementation is linked also to the work of SBSTTA on the Monitoring Framework and to the post-2020 GBF.

At this meeting, SBI will focus on finishing the mandate given by CoP14 and by the CoP/MoPs, continuing work from where it was left off last year. This means that some CRPs will continue being the object of discussion, while new ones will be drafted. Some L-Documents will be formally adopted as already agreed at the last session. Additionally, work with will the following five Contact Groups continue:

1. Resource mobilization;
2. Review mechanism;
3. Capacity building;
4. Agenda plan of action; and
5. Cartagena Protocol implementation plan.

Regarding L-documents, it was agreed at the virtual session last year that some must be formally adopted. Some of them present brackets as SBI tried to use these informal processes to advance the consensus on outstanding issues. But for the sake of time, these will not be addressed and rather be resolved at the CoPs or at CoP/MoPs.

There are linkages between SBI and SBSTTA, but also with the work to prepare the new Global Biodiversity Framework. There are various SBI agenda items directly linked to the GBF like, resource mobilization, review implementation, but more or less all of them present linkages.

After the First virtual session of last year, all the outcome was given to the post-2020 Co-Chairs for them to include when preparing the first draft. This will ensure that the work is done with continuity and the many linkages between the activities mandate close coordination.

Francis OGWAL | Co-Chair, CBD Open-Ended Working Group for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

When it comes to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Open-Ended Working Group is the negotiating body. Therefore, the text of that Framework is being negotiated with, or by that working group.  To date, there had been two physical meetings of that Working Group. Its third meeting will be held together with SBSTTA’s and SBI’s in Geneva, more commonly referred to as 3.2 Meeting of the Working Group.

The mandate of the Open-Ended Working Group is derived from Decision 1434, meaning that Co-Chair will do their best to take on board what parties will tell them to. Much of what needs to go into the GBF will be negotiated by parties, but Co-Chairs have that very challenging role of trying to capture views of parties and stakeholders into the framework. At the next meeting, the Open-Ended Working Group is going to carry forward the Contact Groups present at the first part of the 3rd meeting of the Working Group last year.

Important working documents for this physical meeting will be of use to participants. The first and main document is Draft one of the Framework. The other document Parties must refer to when negotiating is the Co-Chairs Reflection Document, which tries to bring into perspective what was achieved at the 3.1 meeting, virtually in September. Through the document, the Co-Chairs aim at guiding parties towards feasible targets providing suggestions to help them move forward. Another document for Parties to refer to is the Co-Leads Report.

Basile VAN HAVRE | Co-Chair, CBD Open-Ended Working Group for a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Alike the other Meetings, the Open-Ended Working Group one will have five contact groups. Four of these are structured along the lines of the Draft and working very closely with the Co-Leads, ensuring predictability and consistency in the work of those Contact Groups. Our expectation in terms of the process is that on one hand, everybody has put to good use of the extra time, being more prepared than when we started two years ago. However, on the other hand, we recognize that it has been a long time since people have been able to talk to each other and personal links may have dwindled slightly in the face of working in isolation. In addition, we realize also there is a significant number of new people that we will need to integrate into the process. So, the key advice that is given to participants is to be as familiar as possible with the decisions contained in the previously mentioned documents, but also with the work done in the previous meeting, with the mandate we have. This is to avoid restarting the negotiations or repeat positions, etc. We welcome new ideas and engagements, but there is a desire to make the best possible use of the very short time we have in front of us to maximize the outcome and have the best possible outcome of this meeting in preparation for the negotiation in Kunming. Everybody seems excited about resuming work face to face, about getting back together in Geneva.

Statements and questions | Geneva Biodiversity Cluster

Sonia Peña Moreno | Director of the International Policy Center at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

As everyone in Geneva and elsewhere, IUCN is extremely excited about the resumed meetings happening next month here in Geneva. IUCN is looking forward to continuing to contribute to the discussions and the negotiations around the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and to see it implemented, once approved and adopted in Kunming. Returning to the question raised earlier by Norbert Baerloch on whether the post-2020 GBF is indeed global and the importance to create the synergies agenda here and bringing everyone on board to continue this framework. Thinking about Geneva as a hub for many organizations, and issues, including trade, human rights jobs, health, environment, and biodiversity, how do you see this wider community in Geneva and beyond engaging in the development, and the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework?

Basile VAN HAVRE: There is a desire for the GBF to be different from the previous one and key characteristics we call “being a framework for all”, which is linking to other processes. Our sense, and what the parties have told us is we cannot be successful if do not engage the whole of government and the whole of society. So the link to health, human rights,  labor, etc., are critical. The Framework is being built as an open infrastructure allowing others to connect, and that means encouraging and setting goals or targets that can be picked up by the organization and used, also making effort to use an understandable language. It definitely is a real opportunity to be in Geneva and engagement and advice on how we can do better are welcome.

Luca CHINOTTI | Senior Multilateral Affairs Specialist at WWF

WWF is also looking forward to seeing all participants in Geneva finally for a physical negotiation. This will be a very critical meeting, considering the importance of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and we really hope that we will set the level of ambition at the right level. There is the common acknowledgment that we need to reverse biodiversity loss and achieve a nature policy by 2030. There also is recognition of the need to increase conservation efforts and to address the drivers of biodiversity loss, and in particular, the footprint of production and consumption, resource mobilization, increasing subsidies. It is also essential that the framework to be implemented follows a rights-based, a whole of government and whole of the country approach. Considering the importance of the participation of society and of indigenous people for this negotiation and the change of sanitary measures in Switzerland, is there a plan to open for participation at the venue for observers?

David COOPER:  It is true the Framework must address the direct and underlying drivers of biodiversity loss and to do that everyone has to be involved in the discussions, in the preparation and its implementation. The CBD, the Secretariat and the Parties have always emphasized the importance of wide stakeholder engagement, in particular of indigenous peoples and local communities and indeed this is set out in the mandate that the Co-Chairs from CoP14. We expect high participation of observers as well as from parties in the upcoming meetings. But given the size of the venue and the ongoing pandemic situation globally it is unlikely that we would be able to further relax. As the capacity is almost complete, to ensure a safe number of people in the venue at any one time as well as representation, delegations of both parties and observers will rotate. All registered delegates will have full viewer access to the discussions both the plenary session and the Contact Groups.

Q&A

Q: Is the daily agenda of the meetings already available on the website? What is the deadline for the registration?

All information is available in the “Scenario Note for the Resumed Sessions of the Twenty-Fourth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical And Technological Advice, The Third Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation and The Third Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group” document whereas a live calendar of the events will be made available on the website closer to the beginning of the events. The initial deadline for registration is extended to 28 February, registration is required. Part of the events will be streamed live, for more information on side-events.

Hesiquio BENITEZ DIAZ: The organization and realization of the calendar of this first face to face meeting was very complex. This is also possible because the work is not starting from zero, allowing to go straight to business in a limited time. This will ensure getting the most progress out of every meeting. The Draft Monitoring Framework, one of the main priorities for SBSTTA will follow negotiations on the Open-Ended Working Group making coordination essential. We are doing our best to have a Draft Monitoring Framework to be approved by the COP that will require later the support and other revisions.  It will follow and adapt to the development of the GBF. This is to say that concentration is high on making the best use of the limited time at disposition for every single agenda item.

Charlotta SÖRQVIST: It is important to remind the amount of work that has been done during previous sessions and that this is an opportunity to conclude the work of SBI. Therefore, it is essential to read all documentation and the agenda to make the best use of new ideas coming and to conclude work.

Q: How will the outcome of the WG be followed by the 2nd segment of the COP, in Kunming? How far do you expect the work in Geneva to go in terms of the final product?

Basile VAN HAVRE: A lot of work will take place in Geneva as this is the last meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group before we get to the COP. The goal is to end up with a text with as little bracket as possible so that we can limit the amount of negotiation that will take place in Kunming.  But foreseeing the achievements towards these goals is unlikely. There is a conviction that people and delegates are coming to Geneva with the intention of reaching that goal. And that a lot of energy and effort will be used to reach goals.

Q: ­During the event, I would be interested in hearing reflections as to the extent of any foreseen changes to the first full draft 2030 framework. I.e., in short, how “reliable” of an indication the draft is for the final outcome?

Basile VAN HAVRE: Observing the progression from Draft 0 to Draft 1, one and from Draft 1 to the Reflection of the Co-Chairs, document there is a number of consistent elements, making it likely for those elements to be in the final document. It would be preposterous trying to predict the outcome of those discussions, but if we are addressing the direct and indirect drivers of diversity loss, we will find those elements in the end.

Francis OGWAL: Another important discussion that the Open-Ended Working Group is conducting in parallel to the post-2020 GBF regards Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Information (DSI). This entails providing recommendations to the COP. Despite some sort of agreement having been already achieved, some topics related to DSI still require tackling.

Closing Remarks | Wishes for the Meetings in Geneva

David COOPER: We hope and expect parties to engage in real negotiations, to build on the text space work, to ensure that we come out with some agreed text on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework itself as well. In doing so to be cognizant of the level of ambition that is necessary for this framework for it to achieve what parties wish it to achieve, which is the 2050 Vision of Living in Harmony with Nature, and set out in the Kunming declaration. Again, halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and putting biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 will require ambition across the board. So, we expect a global outlook on all aspects of biodiversity: drivers and means of implementation for such a vision.

Norbert BAERLOCHER: Wishing for this conference can happen in the best conditions possible, and that the health situation will not affect it. It is certainly the most important aspect for Switzerland. Reflecting on Sonia Peña’s question on the role of the missions, we all understood that biodiversity is another important, existential crisis, not only climate. And that more and more people are aware that biodiversity is not just about creating new protected areas or saving the dolphins, but that it has to do with almost all aspects of our life. And therefore, Geneva is a perfect crossroad for all these different interests, be it trade, human rights, development, labor rights. We have to understand that we cannot stop the loss of biodiversity just by focusing on conservation, as drivers are related to our way of producing and consuming products, to agriculture, forestry, industrial production. Geneva offers expertise in many fields, and Switzerland is proud to host Missions that can help this process and also learn what can be useful for themselves, their mission, their government. Missions can also support delegations during the CBD Meetings to facilitate their venue and accommodations considering the intense schedule delegates will face. Another important result to be seen is the connection between trade and biodiversity.

Hesiquio BENITEZ DIAZ: There is a very special blend with good ingredients, all documents are available on the website, but we need to have a good spirit and political will to make progress. Hoping to have good outcomes for COP and a message for the planet. We know what to do. We need the active participation of all stakeholders. It is possible to achieve the SDGs if we work all together. I think the outcomes of the Geneva meetings will be a strong call to global action, we need to be optimistic. We need to be proactive to produce good outcomes and continue with our work to adopt the post-2020 Global Diversity Framework for the next decade and to start right now.

Charlotta SÖRQVIST: Thinking about Geneva, and considering the great job done in the last session, we should all have been well prepared to start our real negotiations on spot. Hoping we can conclude the work of SBI as many agenda items are fundamental so support GBF.

Francis OGWAL: As Co-Chairs, our business is to deliver the post-2020 Global-Biodiversity without square bracket, because for us Draft one has no square brackets. Hoping therefore that parties might come in our directions and move forward from there without square brackets. Having square brackets means delaying discussion, delaying adoption. Another desire is that the resources to implement that plan, Capacity-Building the Monitoring Framework, the Gender Action plan, other key critical packages, are also agreed upon and avoid repeating past mistakes of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011. This time discussions about Strategic Plan, Resource Mobilization, Capacity Building, Monitoring Framework, Gender Action Plan, are happening at the same time, in the hope that these all converge in the Framework. Additionally, expectations are having a clean text of DSI.

Basile VAN HAVRE: Ambition is a point that needs to be underlined. We were asked to be driven by science, but it is important to do that in a holistic way that takes into consideration the reality of socio-economic development, population growth, etc. This is a difficult task that the Geneva community tackles every day. These negotiations, like good wine, are not for enjoying the day after you do it, but results must mature for a little while. So, while working for here and now, doing that text for Kunming, it is important to remember that we are undertaking a much longer journey about how to increase the synergy between various institutions. So, these meetings are perhaps a lot larger than what we think as team working on it is not only on the screen, but all the people listening to this conversation.

Video

In addition to the live WebEx and Facebook transmissions, the video is available on this webpage.

Documents

• Presentations
• Scenario note for the resumed sessions of the SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3
• First draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework
• Reflections by the Co-Chairs following the first session of the third meeting of the Working Group on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Links

• Towards the Convention of Biological Diversity Resumed Sessions of SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3
• Resumed sessions of SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3 | Convention on Biological Diversity
• UN Biodiversity Conference
• Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice
• Subsidiary Body on Implementation
• First Draft of The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
• Biodiversity and Geneva | Geneva Environment Network (regularly updated)