Notification 2026-072

Modalities for the early submission of statements for the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), the twelfth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP-MOP 12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (COP-MOP 6)

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

In decisions 16/25, CP-11/5 and NP-5/10, paragraph 3, the Executive Secretary, together with the Bureaux, was requested to explore ways to facilitate early preparations for meetings, including the early submission of statements.

 

At its meeting held on 14 September 2026, the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, building upon the experience at previous meetings of subsidiary bodies, agreed to implement modalities for the early submission of statements, on a voluntary and informal basis, for the following agenda items: 

 

  1. COP 17:  Agenda items 11, 18(a), 18(f) and 20.
  2. COP-MOP 12:  Agenda items 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
  3. COP-MOP 6:   Agenda items 5, 7, 10, 12 and 13.

 

The details of the modalities are set out in annex I, as approved by the Bureau on 14 September 2026, to this notification and will also be outlined in the scenario note for the meetings. 

 

Accordingly, I would like to invite and encourage Parties, other Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organizations to participate in this process, on a voluntary and informal basis.  Parties and observers pre-registered for the respective meetings may submit written statements, in any of the six United Nations languages, by 18 October 2026 at 20:00 (Yerevan time). 

 

Submitters are encouraged, where possible, to ensure that their statements clearly provide textual proposals, keep general comments concise and focused, and distinguish between general comments and specific textual proposals, as appropriate. A template of an early statement, which can be used on a voluntary basis, is set out in annex II, for reference.

 

To upload statements, please use the meeting credentials code provided in your Priority Pass, which you will receive upon registration. Kindly upload statements through the following links: For COP 17  https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2026/cop-17/documents, for COP-MOP 12 https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2026/cp-mop-12/documents and for COP-MOP 6 https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2026/np-mop-06/documents.  Annex III contains further guidance on how to upload statements. In the event of technical difficulties with uploading to the portal, kindly send an email to cbd-statements@un.org with a copy to secretariat@cbd.int, for assistance.  Kindly indicate the name of the meeting and agenda item to which your request refers in the subject line of the e-mail.

 

Party statements uploaded to the portal will be published simultaneously after the early submissions deadline, before the opening of the meetings. Parties wishing to have their statements published upon upload should select “Allow publication of this statement upon upload” when prompted during the submission process.  All observer statements will be published upon upload.   

 

Please accept, Sir, Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration. 

 

(Signed) Astrid Schomaker

Executive Secretary

  1. Annex I: Modalities for the early submission of statements 
  2. Annex 2: Template of a statement for use on a voluntary basis

  3. Annex 3: Interface guide for the early submission of statements

     

To: CBD national focal points, Cartagena Protocol focal points, ABS focal points, SBSTTA focal points, indigenous peoples and local communities, and relevant organizations

2026-09-18

Action required by 2026-10-18

Subject(s): Conference of the Parties, Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing, Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Full text:
English