Kabir Bavikatte, Harry Jonas, and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) are in Nagoya, Japan, for the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP-10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will take place from October 18-29. Over the two weeks, the CBD’s 193 Parties and thousands of representatives of civil society, Indigenous peoples and local communities, academia, and the private sector will engage in negotiations, side events, and high-level segments. The three largest and highest stake points on the agenda are the Strategic Plan for 2020 (and the Vision for 2050), the Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), and financial resources. The links between climate change and biodiversity will also be a key point. The COP will tackle issues and draft decisions put forward by the 14th Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-14), the 3rd Working Group on the Review of Implementation (WGRI-3), and the 6th Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8j-6) in two parallel working groups. There will also be an informal group to conclude the ABS Protocol, if necessary, and a group to address the budget for the CBD.
All of the draft decisions under consideration at COP-10 can be viewed here. Daily coverage of the negotiations and side events will be provided by the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB); brief updates will be posted on this blog; and civil society views will be posted by the CBD Alliance here.
