Key decisions related to work of the Secretariat to the Cartagena Convention for the 2021-2022 biennium are expected to be formulated when delegates meet from June 21-25, 2021 and July 26-30, 2021.
The Coordinator of the Secretariat noted that currently, the stakes are high for the Wider Caribbean Region as countries move towards sustainable economic recovery through sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. Parties to the Cartagena Convention will be focused on setting the strategic and governance framework for effective implementation across the elements of the Convention and its Protocols. This decade presents a suite of opportunities, through the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and the UN Decade of Action towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 14- Life Below Water appears to present the greatest hurdle in the achievement of SDGs. The decisions agreed will be pivotal in framing how the Secretariat will work with parties and partners to deliver “the ocean we need for the future we want.”
These meetings serve as the central decision-making fora for Contracting Parties to the Convention and its Protocols. Delegates will discuss, inter alia, the status of activities from the last biennium and follow-up on the decisions and recommendations made in previous meetings. They will also chart the way forward for the 2021-2022 biennium when they discuss and approve the corresponding work plan and budget for the Secretariat including it’s Pollution, Biodiversity and Communication sub-programmes.
Due to the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat will host this meeting virtually. Remote Simultaneous Interpretation will also be provided in the working languages of the Secretariat (English, Spanish and French).
The meetings are as follows:
Pre-COP Meetings
Date: June 21-25, 2021
Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm EST
LBS COP5
Date: July 26, 2021
Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm
SPAW COP11
Date: July 27, 2021
Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm
19IGM/COP16
Date: July 28-30, 2021
Time: 8:00am – 4:30pm
