New dates have been announced for the UN Biodiversity Conference, now scheduled to take place from 11-24 October 2021 in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
The three meetings that comprise the 2021 UN Biodiversity Conference: the fifteenth meeting of the Parties (COP-15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, were originally scheduled to be held in October 2020. The dates were later changed to May 2021 but have been adjusted to reflect the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity,said, “I want to express my appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China, through the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as well as to the President and members of the Bureau, the Chairs of the Subsidiary Bodies and the Co-Chairs of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for their continued commitment and sustained efforts in keeping the momentum towards the successful adoption of an ambitious post-2020 framework.“
“The Secretariat remains committed to ensuring the successful and timely preparation of COP-15 and the concurrent meetings of the Parties to the Protocols, while also ensuring the safety of all participants in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
The Convention’s Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, which also serves as the Bureau for the concurrent Meetings of the Parties to the two Protocols, considered and approved the revised meeting dates following consultations between the CBD Secretariat and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
Information regarding the agendas, registration and other logistical arrangements about the meetings will be made available in due course.
The COP Bureau, together with the SBSTTA Bureau, is currently undertaking consultations with regions concerning the dates and modalities for the formal meetings of the subsidiary bodies, with a view to convening the Twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and the Third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation soon as possible, potentially in the second half of April or May 2021, and the Third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in August 2021, in order to allow timely preparation for COP-15 and related meetings. Further information in this regard will be provided in due course.
The lead-up to the Conference and Meetings in Kunming provides the global community with further opportunities to galvanize efforts at all levels to build a better future in harmony with nature, and to continue efforts to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
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.