Article 25 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) establishes an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body known as the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to provide the Conference of the Parties (COP) and, as appropriate, its other subsidiary bodies, with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention. As a subsidiary body of the COP, SBSTTA reports regularly to the COP on all aspects of its work.

The 24th meeting of the SBSTTA of the CBD will take place as a virtual meeting. Plenaries will convene on 3-4 May, 23-26 May, and 7-9 June. Sessions will last three hours, from 7:00 – 10:00 am Montreal time (GMT-4). Adoption of final draft decision documents (L documents) will be deferred until an in-person meeting can be held, unless the Bureau decides otherwise.

SBSTTA-24 aims to adopt conference room papers (CRPs) on the following agenda items:

• The post-2020 global biodiversity framework
• Synthetic biology
• Risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms (LMOs)
• Marine and coastal biodiversity
• Biodiversity and agriculture
• Programme of work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
• Biodiversity and health
• Invasive alien species

SBSTTA 24 was scheduled to take place from 18-23 May 2020, in conjunction with the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) of the CBD. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dates have been adjusted several times. The Secretariat announced on 24 August 2020 that the meeting would be held in the first quarter of 2021, “conditions allowing.” In preparation for the subsidiary body meetings, the Secretariat organized a series of special virtual sessions of SBSTTA and SBI on 15-18 September 2020 and in February and March 2021. 

These meetings will prepare for the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15), which was originally scheduled to take place in October 2020. It is now expected to take place in October 2021. 

dates: 3 May – 9 June 2021
location: virtual
www: https://www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-24