Highlights and images for 3 September 2021

The third meeting of the Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework reconvened for its final plenary session. Delegates heard from the co-leads of the relevant contact groups on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) regarding their review of the topics under their remit, completing discussions for this round of negotiations on the GBF. Delegates also heard a summary report from the co-leads of the contact report on Digital Sequencing Information (DSI) on genetic resources.

The meeting Rapporteur, Leina Al-Awadhi (Kuwait), presented the draft report of the meeting, which delegates discussed and approved. The reports of the contact groups were appended to the meeting report, and will inform discussions at the resumed session of the Working Group. 

During the closing session, delegates heard concluding remarks. Hamdallah Zedan (Egypt), on behalf of the COP-14 Presidency, lauded the impressive virtual session, including the Pre-COP hosted by Colombia, stressing that ambition is needed to achieve the transformative change required to stem biodiversity loss.

CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema welcomed the positive and optimistic attitude of the meeting, which brought together over 1680 registered participants from 141 parties and more than 200 organizations, advancing an ambitious GBF.

Ambassador Franz Perrez, Switzerland, informed delegates that his country is working hard to make an in-person session of the working group and the CBD subsidiary bodies possible for January 2022, pointing out that the situation in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic is fragile and subject to change.

Noting the elevated level of expectations for the upcoming resumed session of the Working Group, Co-Chair Basil van Havre (Canada) urged participants to prepare as much as possible through both formal and informal work.

Co-Chair Francis Ogwal (Uganda) urged delegates to hang in for the last stretch of the marathon GBF negotiations, and to make necessary resources available for its implementation.

Co-Chair van Havre suspended the meeting at 8:39 am EST (UTC-4), marking the completion of discussions of the first half of the third meeting of the Working Group, due to be reconvened for an in-person meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in January 2022.