Upon request from ECOWAS Member States, AUDA-NEPAD organised a preparatory meeting from 23-25 November 2021, in Accra, Ghana towards the upcoming resumed sessions of twenty-fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-24), the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-3) and Working group 2020-3.

The meeting brought together 31 members of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) from ECOWAS countries, including Focal Points of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Focal Points of the Protocol of Cartagena on Biosafety, and Focal Points of the Nagoya-Kuala-Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress.

The meeting was hosted by Mr. Eric Okoree, representing Ghana as Chair of ECOWAS, also had in attendance Ir. Mike Ipanga, Chair of the AGN, Dr Rufus Ebegba, Chair of the African Union Biosafety Regulatory Forum (AU-BRF) and Dr. Jeremy Ouedraogo, Head of AUDA-NEPAD’s flagship programme for biosafety.

In his opening remarks, Ir. Mike Ipanga thanked AUDA-NEPAD for organising the meeting and noted the progress made thus far in the development of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the contributions of African Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity and its Protocols. He further urged members of the AGN make sure that the continent’s priorities as defined in Agenda 2063 and as re-emphasized by the African Ministerial Conference in Sharm El Sheikh in 2018 were taken into account in the post-2020 GBF.

The meeting provided a platform for AGN members present to review key documents for the resumed sessions of SBSTTA-24, SBI-3 and WG 2020-3 and also improve their understanding of policy options being considered by African Parties towards consensus building.

A second meeting is planned from December 13-15, 2021, to address other key issues, in particular key aspects of the post-2020 GBF, and to further build consensus going into the Geneva meeting in early 2022.