OEWG3, SBSTTA-24 and SBI-3 meetings, critical to developing an ambitious transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework to safeguard nature, resume with in-person sessions from 14 to 29 March in Geneva, Switzerland.
“The world is clearly eager for urgent action to protect nature. We have no time to spare. Together we must ultimately deliver a truly historic agreement that puts us firmly on the path to living in harmony with nature.” Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“I want to remind everyone that words, even targets, are not enough. Pledges and commitments bring the most impact when they are matched with planned, prioritized and persistent actions. We have the responsibility to ensure that an effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework is successfully negotiated, and that urgent action is taken to implement it.”
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) are held from 13 to 29 March 2022, at the International Conference Centre Geneva.
At the opening press conference on the 14th, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (Executive Secretary of the CBD) gave an account on key challenges to be tackled during the upcoming discussions.
“The good news is that the last two years have been active as far as the biodiversity agenda is concerned, which has kept the momentum high.“
Pledges came from States (High Coalition on Nature and People, Leaders Pledge, Ocean Coalition), the finance and the business sectors (Finance for Biodiversity Pledge, Business For Nature), SNLGs (Edinburgh Declaration), youth (Youth Manifesto)…
“We urgently need an ambitous, transformative, universal and action-oriented framework.”
“All stakeholders have been consulted in the process over the last 2 years – women, youth, Indigenous Peoples & local communities, business, finance, SNLGs, NGOs, & on.”
“This time all stakeholders can see themselves in the 1st draft of the post2020 global #biodiversity framework & I think that is a demonstration of their contributions. We hope that when adopted it will be implemented immediatly”.
The project will closely follow the meetings:
SBSTTA-24: Will advance discussion on a monitoring approach for the post-2020 framework.
SBI-3: Will complete its work on key inputs to the post-2020 framework and lay a firm foundation for its adoption and implementation thereafter at the resumed COP-15.
WG2020-3: Discussions will centre on agreeing action needed to reach the 2050 Vision of living in harmony with nature, defining how performance will be tracked and reported, and ultimately determining how success will be defined. This includes addressing the five drivers of biodiversity loss – land and sea use change, unsustainable exploitation, climate change, pollution, and invasive species – and relevant indirect drivers such as unsustainable production and consumption. Discussions are based on the first draft post-2020 framework released last July, which includes a long-term vision to 2050 and medium-term milestone mission to 2030 plus and 21 actions targets addressing both direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. Other issues to be covered include resource mobilization, the financial mechanism, and access to digital sequence information from genetic resources and sharing the benefits from their use.
We will especially monitor some key side events that will address crucial topics for the upcoming adoption of the Post 2020 GBF namely: IPLCs and youth involvement and expectations, biodiversity and food systems, business, trade system and finance, communications and awareness-raising campaigns, mainstreaming and harmful subsidies.
The project is also inviting participants to the OEWG to join a side event on the 23rd March, 1:15PM — 2:45PM, Room 4 Level -1.
On the agenda THE PATHWAYS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION ON THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION with high-level speakers such as Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (CBD), Marco Lambertini (WWF International), Eva Zabey (Business For Nature). News available here.
