Biodiversity: 28th Meeting of the CBD's Scientific Body Sets the Stage for COP17

The twenty-eighth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice was held in Nairobi from 27 July to 1 August 2026. Participants included representatives of the Parties to the Convention, international organizations, the scientific community, indigenous and local communities, youth, and numerous civil society organizations, including PAN Africa.

The meeting was declared open at 10:05 a.m. on 27 July 2026 by the Chairperson, Jean Bruno Mikassa (Gabon).

Opening remarks were delivered by Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on behalf of Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, and by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Kunming-Montreal Global Framework: Review of the first global report on collective progress and identification of gaps in the implementation of the 23 targets.

• Marine and Coastal Biodiversity: Strengthening scientific work on ecologically and biologically important marine areas (EBSA).

• Sustainable Wildlife Management: Development of global guidelines for wildlife management and conservation.
PAN Africa followed with interest the discussions on indicators B.1, C.1, C.2, D.3, 1.1, 7.2 (environmental pesticide concentration), 9.1, 9.2, 15.1, 18.2, 21.1, and 22.1. It should be noted that the reference to environmental pesticide concentration (PEC) is in brackets, indicating the lack of consensus on its inclusion in this request. Negotiations will continue at COP 17, to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19 to 30, 2026.
However, document CBD/SBSTTA/28/L.7 also proposes that the COP mandate the continuation of methodological work, including the creation of an “ad hoc technical expert group on further operationalizing the follow-up framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”
The meeting in Nairobi is expected to give new impetus to international cooperation in the field of nature and biodiversity conservation, helping to accelerate countries’ implementation of their global commitments to prevent and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, while moving towards a vision of 2050 in which we live in harmony with nature.