Nairobi Biodiversity Talks Set Stage for Key UN Conference in Yerevan

By Maurice Momanyi

Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity have acknowledged that the world is not moving fast enough to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets, following nearly three weeks of negotiations in Nairobi.

The meetings, held between July 27 and August 12, brought together countries to discuss scientific, technical and implementation measures aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and strengthening the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The negotiations are expected to pave the way for crucial intergovernmental discussions at the 2026 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, including COP17, scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 19 to 30.

During the 28th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-28), held from July 27 to August 1, countries reached broad agreement on issues including sustainable wildlife management, protected areas, synthetic biology and marine and coastal biodiversity conservation.

The meeting produced recommendations on updating the Convention’s Programme of Work on Protected Areas, global voluntary guidance on sustainable wildlife management and a thematic action plan aimed at strengthening capacity-building, technology access and knowledge-sharing in synthetic biology.

The discussions were followed by the seventh meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-7), held from August 4 to 12, which focused on the practical requirements needed to turn biodiversity commitments into action.

Key issues included biodiversity financing, mainstreaming biodiversity into policies, access to information, capacity-building and digital sequence information.

The meetings also considered findings from the first global assessment of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, known as the “State of Biodiversity Action” report.

The report is based on a record number of national submissions, with 130 Parties — more than 70 percent — submitting national reports, while 172 Parties, nearly 90 percent, submitted national targets aligned with the global framework.

However, the assessment shows that progress remains uneven.

While conservation efforts have recorded encouraging developments, areas such as biodiversity financing, the reform of environmentally harmful subsidies and inclusive governance have recorded slower progress.

CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker said the Nairobi meetings had delivered important progress but warned that much more work would be required ahead of the Yerevan conference.

She said countries would need to reach strong agreement on how to close the gaps identified in the global assessment and accelerate implementation of the biodiversity framework.

Schomaker noted that fewer than half of the aligned national targets assessed by Parties are currently on track, with major challenges remaining in mobilising biodiversity finance, reforming harmful subsidies, addressing business impacts and dependencies, and promoting sustainable consumption.

The Cali Fund also emerged as a key issue during the Nairobi negotiations, with countries emphasising its importance as a mechanism for ensuring that the private sector contributes to biodiversity conservation.

However, differences remain over how quickly and effectively countries should accelerate action towards the 2030 targets.

The outcomes of the Nairobi meetings, together with the recommendations from SBSTTA-28 and SBI-7, will feed into the 2026 UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan.

At COP17, countries will undertake the first global review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and consider measures to accelerate action towards achieving its 23 targets by 2030.