Highlights and images for 9 March 2021

Participants in the informal meeting in preparation of SBI-3 resumed work with a busy agenda, addressing multiple items. Regarding the assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, several delegates noted with concern that just over half of the Parties have fully introduced the necessary legal, administrative, and other measures to implement their obligations under the Protocol. Many emphasized the importance of capacity building to enable implementation, highlighting the need for support in the development and preparation of national reports for their timely submission. Some noted, with regards to new technologies, that countries have varying capabilities and opportunities, with further research needed for the assessment and management of risks linked to socio-economic considerations.

Stakeholder groups called on Parties to recognize that Indigenous peoples and local communities possess important knowledge on biodiversity, and urged for their full and effective participation in the implementation of the Protocol, including in the assessment and management of risks associated with living modified organisms (LMOs). Many also stressed the need to ensure citizens’ access to information, regulatory frameworks, and procedures, enabling informed participation in decision-making.

Delegates further addressed the implementation plan and capacity-building action plan of the Cartagena Protocol. During discussions, States reiterated the need for capacity building, as well as for effective allocation and sharing of resources. Several called for more consistency between the implementation plan for the Protocol and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). Some delegates suggested additional indicators for measuring implementation, especially linked to capacity building, and risk assessment and management.

Several participants called on Parties to ratify the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress. Stakeholder groups especially stressed the inclusion of crucial elements on socio-economic impacts of LMOs, including potential impacts on culture and health.

Participants heard from the Co-Chairs of the Open-ended Working Group on the post-2020 GBF. Co-Chairs Basile van Havre (Canada) and Francis Ogwal (Uganda) provided an overview of inputs needed from SBI for the preparation of the GBF. Overarching areas include:

• Resource mobilization;
• Capacity building and development;
• Knowledge generation, management, and sharing;
• Technical and scientific cooperation, technology transfer, and innovation; and
• Responsibility and transparency.

Participants will return to the agenda item on the post-2020 GBF later in the week.

Delegates also addressed the agenda item on resource mobilization and the financial mechanism. They emphasized, inter alia, the need to: mobilize all types of resources from all potential funding sources to close the funding gap; eliminate or repurpose subsidies and incentives harmful to biodiversity; enhance efficiency and effectiveness of available sources; and promote synergies and cooperation.