Notification 2023-070

Dear Madam/Sir, I have the honour to inform you that the twenty-fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) will be held from 16 to 20 October 2023 and will be hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. The provisional agenda for this meeting is available at the following webpage: https://www.cbd.int/meetings/SBSTTA-25 . The annotated provisional agenda, as well as other pre-session and relevant documentation for this meeting will be made available at the same webpage in due course. In addition, a workshop on recently completed IPBES assessments will be organized on 14 October 2023 and will be open to all participants of SBSTTA 25. Further information on the organization of this workshop and other logistical details will be provided in due course. Nominations The designation of representatives to attend the SBSTTA 25 meeting should be submitted through an official letter of nomination addressed to the CBD Executive Secretary, sent as a scanned e-mail attachment to: secretariat@cbd.int, by 15 September 2023. Information regarding online registration will be provided in due course. Early registration is encouraged. Financial support Please note that subject to the availability of contributions to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ), the Secretariat will be in a position to finance the participation of one representative in the meeting from each of the developing country Parties to the Convention, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition. Parties to the Convention eligible to receive financial support that wish to solicit such assistance are kindly requested to advise the Secretariat at their earliest convenience, but no later than 4 August 2023, of the name and coordinates of their Government’s officially designated representative to benefit from such financial support. It will not be possible for the Secretariat to respond positively to requests for funding received after this deadline. Furthermore, in accordance with the criteria for the operations of the Voluntary Funding Mechanism to Facilitate the Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in the Work of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and subject to the availability of funds, representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities are invited to submit a request for financial assistance for consideration for the meeting, at their earliest convenience but no later than 28 July 2023. A list of beneficiaries from the indigenous peoples and local communities will be communicated via a notification, and selected participants will be contacted directly by the Secretariat regarding the necessary arrangements. With a view to enable the participation of a maximum number of countries in the meetings, kindly note that the Secretariat will be using special airfare tickets for sponsored delegates that impose restrictions with respect to the changing of passenger’s name, travel dates and itinerary. Further information on logistical details, including visa requirements and hotels, will be made available in the “Information Note for Participants”, which is being prepared by the Secretariat and will be made available on the meeting webpage as soon as finalized. I look forward to your participation in the twenty-fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Acting Executive Secretary

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