Stockholm (NordSIP) – Earlier this week, the rumours were officially confirmed that this year’s most important biodiversity event, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will be postponed one more time. Rescheduled several times because of the pandemic, the COP15 is now expected to be held in August this year in the Chinese city of Kunming. The goal of the conference is to create a Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and outline a roadmap for global action to maintain and protect biodiversity.
The first part of the COP15 took place virtually from 11 to 15 October 2021 and addressed agenda items that were identified as essential for the continuation of the operations of the convention, including meetings about administrative matters and technical issues related to the CBD programmes. The second part was supposed to reconvene in face-to-face meetings in Kunming, starting next week, from 25 April to 8 May 2022.
However, postponing the main event does not mean that the work has stopped altogether. After a round of preparatory talks in Geneva in April, parties decided to hold the next round of negotiations in Nairobi, from June 21 to 29, 2022, prior to the UN Convention. The meeting in Geneva gave some results as the parties could agree on a draft document for a post-2020 framework for nature, including goals, targets, and enabling mechanisms.
Stay tuned for more news.
