Regional Briefing Meeting for Asia on the Status of Negotiations on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and Preparation for WG2020-4

Register now!

Background 

Currently, the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are negotiating the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) to be adopted at the second part of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP15 Part 2), scheduled to be held later this year. The framework will constitute a roadmap to guide the work on biodiversity at the global level for the period between now and 2030, and through its effective implementation, put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of the planet and people. 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 third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG2020-3), were held from 14-29 March 2022 in Geneva.  

A significant task for parties at the Geneva Biodiversity Conference was to prepare the foundations for COP-15 to adopt the post- 2020 GBF, when it convenes in Kunming, China, later this year. Among other things, one highlight from the Geneva Biodiversity Conference is the significant input on both the GBF targets and goals and on relevant indicators, with the development of the framework becoming a party-led process. However, the successful adoption of the framework depends on a package of issues to be further discussed and agreed upon, including means of implementation, enhanced transparency and responsibility and digital sequence information on genetic resources. In order to make further progress in negotiations, inter-sessional work will be conducted on resource mobilization and monitoring framework and other issues, and the fourth Open-ended Working Group meeting (WG2020-4) will be held in Nairobi from 21-26 June 2022.

In order to support the Parties in the preparation for the upcoming negotiations, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), including the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), with support from the secretariat of the CBD, is convening a regional briefing session for countries in Asia. The briefing is being supported under UNEP’s project entitled, “African, the Caribbean and the Pacific Multilateral Environmental Agreements Programme III (ACP-MEAs III)”, funded by the European Union (EU).  

Objectives: 

1. Provide an overview of the status of negotiations on the post-2020 GBF, including outcomes of the resumed sessions of SBSTTA 24, SBI 3 and WG2020-3 held from 14-29 March 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland;
2. Provide an overview of the inter-sessional work and a roadmap for the finalization of the post-2020 GBF, including preparations for the WG2020-4, to be held from 21-26 June 2022 in Nairobi; and
3. Strengthen a regional network of CBD, SBSTTA and SBI focal points and promote better regional preparations for the forthcoming negotiations on the post-2020 GBF, as needed.

Participants

The meeting is open to anyone interested to learn about the overall issues that will be part of preparing for CBD COP 15. National CBD, SBSTTA and SBI focal points, focal points of other biodiversity-related MEAs, international and regional organizations, national entities including non-governmental organizations, private sector, and youth representatives will find this useful to enhance their participation in the CBD processes, leading up to COP 15. The session is also open to the participation of UN Resident Coordinators and members of the UN Country Teams in Asia, who wish to be updated on the latest developments related to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.