Convention on Biological Diversity Panama Meeting Ends Without Consensus on Key Recommendations

• The 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ended in Panama on 24 October 2025 without agreement on crucial recommendations for the upcoming COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia. Despite five days of negotiations, delegates failed to reach consensus, leaving major sections of the draft text unresolved.

Lack of Consensus and Concerns

• Around 800 delegates attended the meeting, which aimed to prepare guidance for monitoring progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Extended discussions failed to finalize recommendations, raising concerns about meeting the 2030 biodiversity targets with only five years left.

Focus of the Discussions

• Delegates reviewed the first global progress report on the KMGBF, focusing on assessing national biodiversity plans, setting measurable indicators, and improving coordination mechanisms. A key goal was to ensure that monitoring frameworks reflect the needs of developing countries, indigenous peoples, women, and youth.

Calls for Urgency and Science-Based Action

• Panama’s Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro urged delegates to make “science-based decisions with real results,” while CBD Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker stressed that transparent, accountable action is essential to turn commitments into outcomes.

Exam-Oriented Facts

• Event: SBSTTA-27 under the CBD

• Location: Panama

• Dates: 20–24 October 2025

• Focus: Review of the first KMGBF global progress report (23 targets)

• Next Meeting: COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia (19–30 October 2026)

• Role of SBSTTA: Provides scientific and technical advice to the CBD Conference of the Parties

Follow-up Session
Following SBSTTA-27, the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) (SB8j) began on 27 October 2025 in Panama to strengthen the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity policy and decision-making.