An ISPRA Researcher Appointed to Lead the Scientific and Technical Body of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
From 19 to 30 October 2026, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held in Yerevan, Armenia. The Italian delegation included ISPRA experts who have been actively involved for many years in activities related to the Conferences of the Parties to the CBD and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, providing technical and scientific support.
During the plenary session on 28 October, Valeria Giovannelli, from ISPRA’s Department for Environmental Monitoring and Protection and Biodiversity Conservation, was elected by acclamation as Chair of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), the CBD subsidiary body responsible for providing scientific, technical and technological advice to the Conference of the Parties. Her term of office will last until the conclusion of the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The SBSTTA plays a key role in bridging the international scientific community and intergovernmental decision-making processes on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
The election of an ISPRA researcher as Chair of the SBSTTA is an important recognition of ISPRA’s scientific and technical expertise in shaping global biodiversity policies, as well as a strategic opportunity to strengthen its role on the international scientific stage. It is also particularly significant in view of Italy’s upcoming six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, scheduled for the first half of 2028.
