While African birds fly and chatter around the United Nations Centre grounds in Nairobi – Kenya, inside the building conference rooms, more than 1,400 delegates from more than 100 countries and 30 organizations deliberate on solutions to preserving biodiversity for all and mitigate its loss.
The twenty-sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 26) was held back to back with the fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-4), in Nairobi Kenya, attended by Elizabeth Munro NES.
SBSTTA 26 meeting discussed seven key issues while SBI-4 discussed ten. The two meetings focused on ensuring that no one is left behind and that all parties to the CBD as well as all stakeholders contributes to the CBD objectives and the effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Of importance to the Cook Islands at these meetings were the Marine and Coastal agenda item on the Conservation and sustainable use of Marine and Coastal Biodiversity, the further work on Biodiversity Ecologically or Biologically significant marine areas (EBSA), Progress in national target setting and the updating of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and Financial Mechanisms.
The Cook Islands supports the modalities for the modification of descriptions of EBSA to allow parties to modify their EBSA sites, based on new information and scientific and technological data that becomes available. The Cook Islands has four sites on the EBSA repository and supporting the modification of descriptions allows the Cook Islands to make changes based on new scientific information acquired and to rename some of its sites.
The Cook Islands highlighted with appreciation the GEF – GBF Early Action Support program for the financial support to fast-track actions to implement the GBF goals and target by reviewing and aligning national targets and NBSAP to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Cook Islands also highlighted the challenges faced in the review and update of NBSAPs and notes the importance of the whole of government and whole of society approach when reviewing its NBSAP.
