The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 24), the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-3) and the third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (WG2020-3) will take place at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG), in Geneva (Switzerland) between the 13^th and 29^th of March 2022. March 13^th will be exclusively dedicated to the preparatory meetings, thus the opening plenary sessions will start the following day (March 14^th).

The Geneva sessions will be an opportunity to discuss the ambitions included in the Edinburgh Declaration and its proposed dedicated Decision and Action Plan for subnational, cities and local governments. The sessions will be a milestone event on the road to CBD’s COP 15 Part 2 (in Kunming, China) as they can strengthen and empower regional government’s vital role in implementing the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The Edinburgh Declaration is still open for signature.

The provisional agenda for the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice will be the following:

1. Opening of the meeting

An opening statement will be delivered at 10 a.m. on Monday 14^th of March by the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the three different bodies (SBSTTA 24, SBI-3 and WG2020-3), the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties and the Executive Secretary.

2. Organizational matters: election of officers and adoption of the agenda and organization of work

The elected officers for the first part of the meeting will continue to serve the resumed meeting of the Subsidiary Body. New members will be elected and take part from the end of the 24^th meeting and last up to the 26^th.

3. Post-2020 global biodiversity framework

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice is expected to consider and adopt the draft recommendation contained in CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.2 and in CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.3 documents at its resumed meetings. Additionally, a revised note on the monitoring approach for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework has been written and issued as a non-paper. The text will be further considered and developed, and once approved may be integrated as an annex to the draft recommendations within CBS/SBSTTA/24/L.3.

4. Synthetic biology

The Subsidiary Body is expected to consider and adopt the draft recommendation contained in CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.5 document.

5. Risk assessment and risk management of living modified organisms

The Subsidiary Body is expected to consider and adopt the draft recommendation contained in CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.6 document.

6. Marine and coastal biodiversity

The Chair will propose to the contact group to reconvene in order to further consider and work on CBD/SBSTTA/24/CRP.2 and CBD/SBSTTA/24/CRP.4 documents. The outcomes are expected to be further considered for an eventual adoption by the Subsidiary Body.

7. Biodiversity and agriculture

The draft action plan embedded in the annex of CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.7 document will be further considered by a contact group. Its outcomes are expected to be considered by the Subsidiary Body for an eventual adoption in addition to the draft recommendations contained in the same document.

8. Programme of work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

The Subsidiary Body is expected to consider and adopt the draft recommendation contained in CBD/SBSTTA/24/L.4 document.

9. Biodiversity and health

A contact group will be established to further consider agenda Item 9. A non-paper has been published to support the further discussions of the group. The outcome is expected to be further considered by the Subsidiary Body for an eventual adoption.

10. Invasive alien species

The draft recommendation contained in CBD/SBSTTA/24/CRP.7 document has been updated as according to the first part of the twenty-fourth meeting. Thus the Subsidiary Body is expected to consider and eventually adopt it.

11. Other matters

Participants will be invited to raise other matters of relevance.

12. Adoption of the report

The Subsidiary Body will consider and adopt its report. The Rapporteur may be invited to finish the final report after the meeting with guidance of the Chair and assistance of the Secretariat.

13. Closure of the meeting

The schedule for the closure of the 24^th Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday 29^th of March 2022.

For more detailed information on the agenda of the SBSTTA, please click the following link: https://bit.ly/agendaSBSTTA. In addition, find attached the link to the CBD website for further information on the resumed sessions: https://bit.ly/CBDmain_page or contact Regions4 at dgimenez@regions4.org.