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The 15-United Nations Geneva Biodiversity Meetings concluded March 29, 2022, with negotiators from around 164 countries working out the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework before CoP15, which is scheduled to be held in China in August.
It was the first time in two years that around 1,000 negotiators met in-person to work out the details of the ‘post-2020 global biodiversity framework’ to help protect some one million plant and animal species that are facing the threat of rapid extinction.
The framework, which was supposed to be ready by 2019, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Kunming, China in August 2022, was supposed to take place in 2020 but was postponed due to the global pandemic.
Before the UN Convention on Biodiversity, Parties have agreed to another round of negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya from June 21-29, 2022.
The meeting produced the first negotiated text of goals, targets and supporting mechanisms for an ambitious and transformative post-2020 framework for nature.
“Progress was made towards a solution for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from digital sequence information on the use of genetic resources,” the press release of the meeting read.
“Governments came to Geneva, eager to meet in-person and make progress on urgent action on the goals, targets and institutions needed to protect nature,” Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said.
The overarching goals of the draft framework — to protect the elements of biodiversity at all levels (genetic, species and ecosystem), sustainability and human well-being in the use of biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of biodiversity — were reaffirmed during the Geneva sessions, the release said.
The report of the Thematic Workshop on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in the 24th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-24) invited global and regional organisations. These were:
These were invited to support the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework with respect to marine and coastal biodiversity.
It has also urged Parties and invited other governments to take action to conserve and sustainably use marine and coastal biodiversity.
This includes “enhancing the conservation, protection, restoration and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems, particularly the most vulnerable marine ecosystems in accordance with the need to effectively protect at least 30 per cent of the global oceans”.
It also urged them to address threats and pressures on marine biodiversity and ecosystems like marine plastic litter and fishing.
It called on them to conserve and sustainably use as well as support marine genetic resources and “fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of their utilization, within the jurisdictional scope of the Convention and its protocols.”
It also requested the executive secretary to develop a strategic review and analysis of the programme of work on island biodiversity in collaboration with the Global Islands Partnership and building on other relevant efforts to review progress towards global commitments and goals for island biodiversity.
The report also welcomed the work of the executive secretary on the compilation and synthesis of information on impacts of anthropogenic underwater noise and marine debris on marine and coastal biodiversity and means to minimise and mitigate these impacts.
It welcomed the efforts to implement the ‘Priority Actions to Achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for Coral Reefs and Closely Associated Ecosystems’ and ‘Voluntary Specific Workplan on Biodiversity in Cold-water Areas’ within the scope of the convention.