New dates have been announced for three key UN meetings, including the UN Biodiversity Conference, crucial to the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
As approved by the Bureau, the fifteenth meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15), originally scheduled for October 2020, will now be held 17-30 May 2021, in Kunming, China.
Dates and venue have also been announced for the meetings of the Convention’s two subsidiary bodies.
The twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-24) will be held 2-7 November 2020, and the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-3) takes place 9-14 November 2020. Both meetings will convene in Quebec City, Canada.
“While nature is being degraded at unprecedented rates, our dependency on biodiversity has never been more evident,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, CBD Executive Secretary. “One of the most important lessons of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is that safeguarding nature is critical for protecting human health and wellbeing.”
“These meetings provide us with a tremendous opportunity to ensure that the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity is integrated into policies that will guide the post-pandemic economic and development recovery plans.”
Information regarding the dates of the third meeting of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be made available in due course.
To maintain momentum ahead of the UN Biodiversity Summit in September 2020 and COP-15, and facilitate to preparations for SBSTTA-24 and SBI-3, a series of special virtual sessions of SBSTTA and SBI will be held 15-18 September 2020.
These sessions will include the launch of the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, which will provide a summary of the status of the world’s biodiversity, and the testing of a Party-led review process through an open-ended forum. The sessions will provide the global community further opportunities to galvanize efforts at all levels to build a better future in harmony with nature.
Given the ongoing uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and taking into account current restrictions on travel and the convening of large physical gatherings, it is possible that further adjustments may be required to the schedule of meetings. The CBD Secretariat continues to monitor developments and will announce any further changes that may become necessary.
