• UN Biodiversity Convention’s science and implementation bodies to meet virtually from 3 May to 13 June 2021, with plenaries limited to three hours each day •

Meetings essential to development of the science base and implementation plans for post-2020 global biodiversity framework •

Post-2020 framework expected to play significant role in building resilience, galvanizing national action and international cooperation for nature in face of growing environmental, health and development challenges.

Montreal, 9 April 2021– Dates and modalities have been confirmed for the twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-24), and the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-3), two meetings essential to the development of the post2020 global biodiversity framework to be agreed later this year in Kunming, China.

Following a series of regional consultations, the bureaus of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and SBSTTA have agreed that the meetings will be held virtually, beginning on 3 May and continuing until 13 June.

These meetings are being convened virtually as an exceptional measure due to the conditions imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and do not constitute a precedent for the organization of future meetings under the Convention.

The meetings will build upon the work of the informal meetings of the two bodies that were held in February and March 2021.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, CBD Executive Secretary, said, “I want to thank the Parties to the Convention for their flexibility and willingness to find a way to continue our common work during this challenging time. The agreement to work virtually, on an exceptional basis, will allow us to advance our crucial agenda, including important elements of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework. By acting for nature, we can create a fairer, healthier and more sustainable world.”

As agreed by the COP and SBSTTA bureaus, plenaries will be limited to three hours each day, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Montreal (EDT), and held on the following dates:

SBSTTA 24: First plenary, 3-4 May; Second plenary, 23-26 May; Third plenary, 7-9 June (adjournment). SBI-3: First plenary, 17-19 May; Second plenary, 28-30 May; Third plenary, 11-13 June (adjournment).

Each of the meetings will be adjourned at the conclusion of the third plenary session until a later date for the finalization of the work.

Further details of the modalities of the meetings are currently being finalized, in consultation with the respective COP and SBSTTA bureaus, to ensure an inclusive and transparent process. Further details will be provided in the scenario note to be issued shortly for the meetings.

These meetings will allow for the timely preparation of COP-15 and related meetings of the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, being held from 11-24 October 2021 in Kunming, China under the theme, "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth".

The CBD Secretariat will continue to monitor further developments regarding the ongoing uncertainties caused by the pandemic and announce any further changes that may become necessary.

Notes to Editors

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, the intergovernmental body responsible for providing scientific, technical and technological advice related to the implementation of the Convention, plays a key role in assessing the current status of the world’s biodiversity, identifying solutions and in bringing emerging issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to the attention of the global community.

SBSTTA-24 documents: www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-24

The Subsidiary Body on Implementation has four areas of work: (a) review of progress in implementation; (b) strategic actions to enhance implementation; (c) strengthening means of implementation; and (d) operations of the Convention and the Protocols.

SBI-3 documents: www.cbd.int/meetings/SBI-03

Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity: www.cbd.int/meetings/COP-15

Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: www.cbd.int/meetings/CP-MOP-10.

Fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing: www.cbd.int/meetings/NP-MOP-04

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and entering into force in December 1993, the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. With 196 Parties so far, the Convention has near universal participation among countries. The Convention seeks to address all threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services, including threats from climate change, through scientific assessments, the development of tools, incentives and processes, the transfer of technologies and good practices and the full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous and local communities, youth, NGOs, women and the business community. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing are supplementary agreements to the Convention. The Cartagena Protocol, which entered into force on 11 September 2003, seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology. To date, 173 Parties have ratified the Cartagena Protocol. The Nagoya Protocol aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies. It entered into force on 12 October 2014 and to date has been ratified by 130 Parties.

For more information visit: www.cbd.int. For additional information, please contact: David Ainsworth on +1 514 561 2720 or at david.ainsworth@cbd.int; or Johan Hedlund at johan.hedlund@cbd.int.