To keep the momentum of global biodiversity conservation alive the CBD Secretariat (SCBD) convened a series of ‘Briefing webinars for SBSTTA 24 and SBI 3’ where experts of the secretariat staff introduced relevant pre-session documents for the agenda items of SBSTTA 24 and SBI 3, respectively. The webinars were explicitly not meant for negotiating or discussing the recommendation sections of the documents but only explained the content and the way it was developed.

The webinars covered:

• • SBI 3, agenda item 5: Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
  • SBI 3, agenda item 9: Reviewing, Monitoring, Reporting for the GBF
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 3: Indicators, monitoring framework for the GBF
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 4: Synthetic Biology
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 5: Risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 6: Marine and coastal biodiversity
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 7: Biodiversity and agriculture
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 8: Programme of work of IPBES
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 9: Biodiversity and Health
  • SBSTTA 24, agenda item 10: Invasive Alien Species.

All webinars have been recorded and can be re-watched under:
https://www.cbd.int/article/briefing-webinars-sbstta-24-sbi-3

During one of the webinars the secretariat mentioned as an indicative timeline, depending on the further development of the Covid-19 pandemic, to have physical meetings of SBSTTA/SBI in May/June 21, the third meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group for the GBF in August 21 and COP 15 in October 21. But it was also stressed that this timeline might not be possible, depending on the pandemic situation.

As a next step it is planned to have informal online sessions for the preparation of SBSTTA and SBI 3 as follows:

• • Informal SBSTTA 24: February 17.-19. and February 24.-26. 2021
  • Informal SBI 3: March 8.-12. and March 14. 2021

Participation in these meetings requires formal registration odelegates through the SCBD. The meetings will include interventions on the pre session documents for items on the agenda of SBSTTA 24 and SBI 3 similar to the first reading at formal meetings of the Subsidiary Bodies. The statements of Parties and Observers will be collected and documented, but there will be no negotiating during these informal sessions.

These meetings are announced at the CBD webpage (https://www.cbd.int/process/) from where the pre-session documents can also be accessed.