In Nairobi, Global Biodiversity Reaches Its Midterm Review
The scientific body of the Convention on Biological Diversity is meeting in Nairobi to assess progress under the global framework adopted in 2022 and prepare for COP17.
The twenty-eighth meeting of the scientific subsidiary body of the Convention on Biological Diversity opened in Nairobi on 27 July 2026. Until 1 August, governments, scientists and technical experts are reviewing implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in December 2022.
Their recommendations will inform COP17, scheduled for October in Yerevan.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, December 2022.
A midterm assessment, not a verdict
The 2030 deadline is halfway through, and adopting an international framework does not guarantee implementation. Countries must translate commitments into national policy, define indicators and produce comparable data.
The global review of collective progress being considered in Nairobi will not determine whether all 23 targets have been met. Its purpose is instead to identify gaps between commitments, announced policies and results that can actually be measured.
The real issue: knowing how to measure
A large part of the discussion concerns the monitoring framework. Biodiversity cannot be reduced to the number of species in an area. Monitoring must also cover habitat condition, population abundance, genetic diversity, pressures from human activity and the effectiveness of conservation measures.
The balance is difficult. Methods that vary too much make comparisons impossible, while overly broad indicators conceal local decline. They must also remain usable by countries with very different scientific, financial and administrative capacities.
SBSTTA 28 will be followed from 4 to 12 August by a meeting focused on implementation, including finance, benefit-sharing from genetic resources, the role of local authorities and monitoring mechanisms. Both meetings will feed into the Yerevan conference.
- The Nairobi scientific meeting runs from 27 July to 1 August 2026.
- It assesses implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework halfway to the 2030 deadline.
- The main debate concerns the quality and comparability of monitoring indicators.
- It will not produce binding obligations, but scientific advice for COP17 in Yerevan.
Read the original article on Convention sur la diversité biologique et IISD