Towards the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

The second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to be held in person in Kunming, China later this year is expected to finalize and adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) and an associated  monitoring framework. Among other statistical frameworks, the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) is being proposed to measure progress in the implementation of the post-2020 GBF.

From 14 to 29 March 2022, parties and observers to the CBD gathered in Geneva, in person, to refine the first text of goals, targets and other elements of the GBF during the resumed meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 24), the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 3) and the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG2020-3).

At its plenary session on 27 March 2022, the resumed session of SBSTTA-24 formally approved the recommendation contained in the document CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.3 on scientific and technical information to support the review of the updated goals and targets, and related indicators and baselines, of the post-2020 GBF. The document reflects the outcome of discussions held during the first and second parts of SBSTTA-24 on the development of a monitoring framework to support implementation in the post-2020 period. It includes a draft decision to be submitted to COP-15 for its consideration which contains the draft monitoring framework in an annex.

Notably, paragraph 8 in the draft decision includes text related to aligning national biodiversity monitoring with the SEEA. Moreover, for proposed Target 14 “Fully integrate biodiversity values into policies, regulations, planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies, accounts, and assessments of environmental impacts at all levels of government and across all sectors of the economy, ensuring that all activities and financial flows are aligned with biodiversity values”, the number of countries with implementing the SEEA is being proposed as Headline Indicator 14.02 in the draft monitoring framework. Furthermore, there is an indicator under Goal A and Goal B that would be built upon a SEEA accounting framework. The proposed list of indicators and goals can be found in Appendix 2 of the SBBSTA draft recommendation on the proposed monitoring framework for the post-2020 GBF contained in the document CBD/SBBSTA/24/L.10.

Following the request in paragraph 3 of the SBBSTA  draft recommendations, a technical meeting on indicators for the post-2020 GBF  will be held from 29 June to 1 July 2022, in Bonn,  to contribute to the scientific and technical review of the proposed indicators.

The monitoring framework for the post-2020 GBF will be finalized by the COP-15 on the basis of the Appendix I of the proposed monitoring framework and the outcome of the technical review of the proposed indicators.   

The CBD will also hold a fourth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the post-2020 GBF from 21-26 June 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya. This meeting will advance work in the lead up to the second part of the COP-15. 


To learn more about the proposed indicators for the monitoring framework that rely on the SEEA you can watch the webinar on the  PROPOSED HEADLINE INDICATORS A.0.1, B.0.1, 9.0.1, 11.0.1, 14.0.2 (SBSTTA ITEM 3) which took place on 8 March 2022.