We posed a few questions to officials from the Government Offices of Sweden and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency ahead of the summit in Colombia, scheduled for 21 October–1 November. Here is a summary.
Delegation / Sweden's Commitments / Government Level
An official Swedish delegation, comprising around 25 people, will be attending, with representatives from various authorities, the majority being from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. No researchers will be part of the delegation at the summit. Instead, research input will come via meetings with the Scientific Council for Biological Diversity ahead of the event, as well as through the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and other preparatory gatherings.
During the COP negotiations, Sweden operates through the EU and the presidency, currently held by Hungary. The key focus at this year's summit is to progress with follow-up mechanisms and systems for the framework that was agreed upon in 2022. This involves determining how results should be reported, based on what key indicators ("headline indicators"), and so forth. Sweden seeks detailed follow-up mechanisms and systems for implementation.
According to the Kunming-Montreal Framework, all countries, as well as the EU, must submit action plans. While Sweden has not yet submitted a formal Action Plan, it did report national targets this summer as an alternative, given that a plan is not yet ready for this year's COP. As outlined in the recently presented budget bill (see page 2537), Sweden will develop a national biodiversity plan by 2025. In 2023, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency submitted a draft Action Plan to the government. The government forwarded this to the Swedish Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Objectives, which has now been tasked with creating a national biodiversity plan by 2025.
Excerpt from the Budget Bill
The government will work to achieve the goals adopted under the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Framework for Biological Diversity within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In 2025, the government will develop a national strategy and plan for biodiversity in accordance with the commitments made under the framework. The national implementation of EU legislation is central to this work. It is crucial that the business sector is given the conditions necessary to assess the impact of their activities on biodiversity where needed.
Sweden's reported targets can be found here:
Online Reporting Tool (cbd.int)
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s plan can be found here:
Nationell strategi och handlingsplan om CBD (naturvardsverket.se)
Research Contributions / IPBES / CBD Subsidiary Bodies
IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) is the primary entry point for scientific research and plays a significant role in COP meetings. Reports from IPBES are crucial to the negotiations, and the CBD acknowledges all IPBES reports. Several new reports are in the pipeline. A report on biodiversity monitoring will be released in 2026 as a "fast-track" report to help countries identify obstacles and opportunities. Another report, due in 2027, will focus on how to integrate biodiversity with spatial planning on a landscape scale, with work starting next year. A second global assessment report will be released in 2028, following up on the 2019 report, and will coincide with the CBD’s review of the framework's progress.
A key CBD subsidiary body is SBSTTA (Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice), which holds preparatory meetings for the summit. Here, Sweden has its own voice, which is then coordinated with the EU. Member states send various experts (from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, among others), who in turn consult researchers and the government's Scientific Council for Biological Diversity.
Another important subsidiary body is SBI (Subsidiary Body on Implementation), which handles implementation matters. Preparatory meetings are also held here.
EU/National Legislation/Implementation
The Kunming-Montreal Framework and the EU’s Restoration Regulation partially overlap. The EU's goals are relevant to the global framework. However, the implementation of the Restoration Regulation has not yet begun. The EU Biodiversity Strategy is intended to reflect the goals of the framework, and a review of the strategy is underway to align it with the new framework. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is involved in this process.
FACTS: Issues to be Addressed at COP16
- Implementation: All countries must have national implementation plans in place before COP16 or, alternatively, report targets. As of this writing, around 80 countries have submitted their plans.
- Financing: Wealthier nations need to support developing countries financially so that they have the capacity to implement the framework.
- Fair Distribution of Benefits: A specific protocol is being negotiated on how the benefits of "genetic material" from plants and animals should be shared fairly, particularly in relation to the production of medicines and similar products.
Read more:
Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd.int)
