Negotiator's toolkit

Despite more progress at this two-week session than over the last decade, delegates were unable to reach consensus on a new high seas treaty addressing marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and, instead, suspended the session, to be resumed

As well as the landmark decision on controlling sulphur oxide emissions—which will have major health and environmental benefits for Mediterranean communities—COP 22 adopted several significant plans.

Parties adopted two essential decisions: the 2022 programme of work and budget, and setting 21-25 March 2022 as the dates for COP-4.2 in person in Bali, Indonesia.

Parties adopted the Gandhinagar Declaration calling for migratory species and “ecological connectivity” to be integrated and prioritized in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Parties also added 10 new species to the Convention on Migratory Species Appendices, approved conservation plans for

Delegates to the Barcelona Convention adopted 14 decisions—one on the programme of work and budget for 2020-2021, and 13 thematic decisions, including on governance, an emissions control area for sulphur oxides, and marine pollution from land-based sources.

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury focused on achieving the smooth functioning of an international treaty body as well as substantive and technical issues aimed at fostering action to address

Delegates considered a document prepared by the IGC President, which identified areas for further discussion not containing treaty text, aimed at leading to substantive discussions based on the elements of a package agreed in 2011 on marine genetic resources (MGRs)