From 27 July to 1 August 2026, Nairobi will host the Twenty-eighth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-28) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting will bring together government representatives, scientists, technical experts, indigenous peoples and local communities, and observers from around the world to deliberate on some of the most pressing scientific and policy issues shaping global biodiversity governance.
SBSTTA serves as the principal scientific advisory body to the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD. Its recommendations provide the scientific and technical foundation for decisions adopted by Parties under the Convention and its Protocols, including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.
The Nairobi meeting comes at a pivotal moment as countries prepare for the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CBD COP-17), scheduled for 19 – 30 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. Recommendations emerging from SBSTTA-28 are expected to shape several key decisions to be negotiated and adopted at COP-17.
Among the headline agenda items is a global review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), including discussions on the Framework’s monitoring indicators and countries’ reporting needs. These deliberations will help assess whether the international community is on track to achieve the Framework’s ambitious goals and targets by 2030.
Another agenda item of particular interest is synthetic biology. Delegates will consider the outcomes of intersessional work and recommendations from the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology, including a draft thematic action plan on capacity-building, technology transfer, and knowledge sharing. Discussions are expected to examine both the potential benefits and possible risks associated with recent technological developments in synthetic biology and their implications for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
SBSTTA-28 will also deliberate on sustainable wildlife management, an issue increasingly recognized as essential for achieving biodiversity and sustainable development objectives. Participants will review draft global guidance on sustainable wildlife management, including approaches that promote inclusive decision-making, recognize multiple knowledge systems, and ensure equitable sharing of costs and benefits. Additional agenda items include the strategic review and update of the programme of work on protected areas, discussions on the outputs of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and deliberations on marine and coastal biodiversity, including ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.
For Africa, hosting SBSTTA-28 in Nairobi presents an important opportunity to showcase the continent’s growing leadership in biodiversity science and policy. It also provides African countries and institutions with a platform to shape global discussions on emerging issues, including synthetic biology, biodiversity monitoring, and implementation of the KMGBF.
As the countdown to CBD COP-17 in Yerevan begins, the outcomes of SBSTTA-28 will be closely watched. The meeting is expected to lay the scientific and technical groundwork for decisions that will influence global biodiversity policy and action in the years ahead, reinforcing the critical role of science in achieving the Convention’s vision of living in harmony with nature.