From May 13-18 in Nairobi, Kenya, USCIB Director of Environment and Sustainable Development Agnes Vinblad represented members at the twenty-sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-26) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UN CBD). 

The goal of the meeting was to make progress on negotiations regarding key recommendations and issues to be advanced at the upcoming UN Biodiversity COP16 which will be held in Cali, Colombia in October 2024. 

Vinblad focused on the agenda items pertaining to the negotiations of the monitoring framework to accompany the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).  In addition to intense negotiations on headline indicators for the monitoring framework, the CBD Secretariat convened an Introductory Exchange Session on Biodiversity and Climate Change where Parties and Observers engaged in an open discussion on suitable topics to cover under the ongoing work on the climate change and biodiversity nexus. 

“During the informal exchange on biodiversity and climate change, some of the key themes emerging included calls for stronger collaboration between the research bodies informing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN CBD,” said Vinblad.  

“Perhaps of most importance to business, is the continued considerations of biodiversity impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts – this includes topics such as the voluntary carbon credit market, the integrity of carbon credits and their impact on local biodiversity” Vinblad continued. 

The session came to a close on May 18, with agreed recommendations to address marine biodiversity, provide guidance on modern biotechnology, compile scientific tools and guidance to support the implementation of the GBF, coordinate actions related to global health, and perhaps most critically – outline the framework of indicators that will monitor progress of the implementation of the GBF. 

“While progress was achieved, it is daunting to realize just how much work remains in order for Parties to be able to adopt the monitoring framework in Colombia. It is critical to get the indicators right, and to ensure that the implementation of the GBF will encourage and facilitate business innovation globally,” Vinblad concluded. 

This was the final time that the UN Biodiversity science body convened prior to Biodiversity COP16 later in the year.