Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: negotiations resume!

The Third Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG3) on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) starts on August 23. Countries and other relevant stakeholders will gather for two weeks to discuss goals and targets that will set the ambitions and guide biodiversity policies and action for the coming decades.

The final text will be adopted at the CBD Convention of Parties (COP-15) in Kunming, China, taking place from April 25 to May 08, 2022. If you want a preview of where discussions are heading, you can check the framework’s first draft here. This document is the result of several meetings, regional consultations, online submissions and two negotiation rounds over the past few years.

How can gene drive contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework’s success?

Existing tools are not enough to save the nearly 1 million species that are currently threatened with extinction. New technologies, such as those derived from synthetic biology and gene drive approaches, have the potential to contribute to addressing the current environmental crisis.

The new framework should acknowledge the limitation of current tools. Moreover, it should recognise that generating and sharing scientific knowledge, capacity building initiatives, and technical cooperation are critical to reverse the current trend of biodiversity loss trends. In order to make the 2050 vision a reality, the new framework should put in place the necessary conditions to encourage responsible research, support evidence-based decision-making and the development of new and complementary tools to conserve biodiversity, including LMOs.