16 December 2017: The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) intersessional bodies on scientific advice and traditional knowledge met in Montreal, Canada, to lay the foundation for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and biodiversity’s contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The twenty-first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the CBD convened from 11-14 December 2017, in conjunction with the tenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, which was held from 13-16 December.

The meetings were attended by approximately 600 participants representing parties and other governments; UN agencies; intergovernmental, non-governmental, indigenous and local community organizations; academia; and the private sector. SBSTTA adopted seven recommendations on: scenarios for the 2050 vision for biodiversity and the links between the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); guidance for achieving a more sustainable wild meat sector; biodiversity and human health; biodiversity mainstreaming in the energy, mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing industries, and in the health sector; tools for evaluating the effectiveness of policy instruments for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity; the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook; and new and emerging issues. Deliberations and recommendations on biodiversity and health, biodiversity mainstreaming, and scenarios for the 2050 vision for biodiversity were seen as important steps towards securing strategic positioning of the Convention vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

SBSTTA noted that the continued loss of biodiversity has major negative consequences for human well-being.

SBSTTA noted that the continued loss of biodiversity has major negative consequences for human well-being. Achieving the 2050 Vision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and other global goals requires transformational change, including changes in behavior at the level of producers and consumers, governments and businesses.

The Article 8(j) Working Group adopted six recommendations, including on: voluntary guidelines for the repatriation of traditional knowledge relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; glossary of relevant key terms and concepts to be used within the context of Article 8(j) and related provisions; and future work for the integration of Article 8(j) in the work of the CBD. The meeting also featured an in-depth dialogue on the contribution of traditional knowledge to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, with particular emphasis on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The guidelines on repatriation and the glossary were considered instrumental to develop a common approach to traditional knowledge and related issues across the Convention. The Working Group also considered methodologies and guidance for identifying, monitoring and assessing the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to the implementation of the Convention. The guidance will be finalized at the second meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Implementation, which will be held in July 2018, in Montreal.

SBSTTA provides scientific, technical and technological advice to the CBD Conference of the Parties (COP). This meeting’s recommendations, along with the recommendations of the Article 8(j) Working Group, will be considered by the next meeting of the COP, scheduled to take place from 10-22 November 2018, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. [IISD RS Coverage of the Meetings] [CBD Press Release on Traditional Knowledge] [CBD Press Release on Meeting Outcomes]