By Dr. Paul Chege,
As the Twenty-ninth Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-29) gets underway in Nairobi, Kenya, many young scientists, biosafety regulators, researchers, students, and communicators may wonder what relevance such a highly technical meeting holds for them. The answer is simple: this is where tomorrow’s biodiversity decisions begin. Long before ministers gather at the Conference of the Parties (COP), technical experts meet under SBSTTA to review scientific evidence, assess emerging issues, and develop recommendations that eventually shape global biodiversity policy. For Africa’s aspiring biodiversity negotiators, SBSTTA is one of the best places to understand how international environmental diplomacy works, how science informs policy, and how evidence is translated into negotiated decisions.
Experiences at previous COP meetings have demonstrated why this preparation matters. Through coordinated engagement under the Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN), supported by technical institutions and subject-matter experts, African Parties have successfully advanced common positions on several issues, such as the refinement of Target 17 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). These achievements are not products of negotiations alone; they result from months of technical consultations, preparatory meetings, scientific exchanges, and coordinated regional dialogue. For young professionals following SBSTTA-29, this serves as an important reminder that successful negotiators are first accomplished technical experts who understand both the science and the policy behind every negotiating position.
For those attending SBSTTA-29, either as delegates, observers, researchers, or representatives of academic and civil society institutions, the meeting offers numerous learning opportunities beyond the formal agenda. The plenary sessions provide an opportunity to observe how Parties introduce agenda items, deliver official statements, and articulate national and regional positions. Equally important are the contact groups and the informal “Friends of the Chair” consultations, where complex issues are often refined and consensus gradually emerges. Side events organized throughout the meeting provide another invaluable platform for learning. These sessions frequently present the latest scientific findings, regulatory experiences, legal perspectives, and implementation lessons that help delegates better understand agenda items before formal negotiations advance. For an early-career professional, attending a well-chosen side event can sometimes provide greater insight than reading dozens of official documents.
This year’s agenda presents particularly rich learning opportunities for Africa’s next generation of biosafety professionals. Discussions on synthetic biology will examine new technological developments alongside issues of capacity building, technology transfer, and responsible governance. Agenda items on monitoring implementation of the KMGBF, sustainable wildlife management, protected areas, marine biodiversity, and the work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) illustrate how biodiversity governance increasingly requires interdisciplinary expertise. Young scientists should therefore look beyond their individual disciplines and appreciate how ecology, biotechnology, law, economics, social sciences, and diplomacy come together to inform global decision-making. Understanding these linkages will be essential for the negotiators and regulators who will guide Africa’s biodiversity agenda in the coming decades.
Hosting SBSTTA-29 presents Africa with more than an opportunity to showcase scientific leadership – it is also an opportunity to nurture the continent’s next generation of biodiversity negotiators. Every plenary statement, technical paper, regional coordination meeting, side event, and informal consultation offers lessons in negotiation, diplomacy, coalition building, and evidence-based policymaking. Young Africans interested in biodiversity governance should follow these discussions closely, engage where opportunities exist, connect with experienced negotiators and technical experts, and begin building the knowledge and networks that will prepare them for future CBD negotiations. Today’s observers and early-career professionals are tomorrow’s lead negotiators. The journey toward influencing global biodiversity policy often begins not at the negotiating table, but by learning how meetings such as SBSTTA-29 shape the science, consensus, and cooperation upon which successful international agreements are built.