The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention, and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings.

To date the Conference of the Parties has held 7 ordinary meetings, and one extraordinary meeting (the latter, to adopt the Biosafety Protocol (http://www.biodiv.org/biosafety/), was held in two parts). From 1994 to 1996, the Conference of the Parties held its ordinary meetings annually. Since then these meetings have been held somewhat less frequently and, following a change in the rules of procedure in 2000, will now be held every two years. To date the Conference of the Parties has taken a total of 182 procedural and substantive decisions.

The agenda of the meetings of the Conference of the Parties is very wide-ranging, reflecting the programme of work the Conference of the Parties has established for itself. At its first meeting, the Conference of the Parties decided on a medium-term programme of work for the period 1995-1997. Implementation of this programme has laid the groundwork for the long-term implementation of the Convention itself. In particular it has seen the development of a number of thematic work programmes, and identified a series of key cross-cutting issues relevant to all work programmes.

The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties established a programme of work to cover the period from then until the seventh meeting and, more importantly, established a process to review the operations of the Convention and set out a longer-term programme of work. As part of this process, an intersessional meeting on the operations of the Convention was held in 1999, the results of which were reported to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties and formed the basis for a decision on future operations of the Convention.

In this decision the COP set out a series of standing items for the provisional agenda of its meetings, namely:

The COP has also undertaken to prepare and develop a Strategic Plan for the Convention, with a view to adopting it at its sixth meeting. The plan will initially cover the period 2002-2010. It will be based on the longer-term programmes of work of the COP and SBSTTA and is intended to provide strategic and operational guidance for the implementation of these programmes. It will contain a set of operational goals that the Conference of the Parties wishes to be achieved in the period covered by the plan, relating to the three main areas of work, these being the thematic programmes, cross-cutting issues and initiatives, and the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.

Eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 8)

The eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 8) held on 20-31 March 2006 at the Convention and Exhibition Center (Expo Trade) in Curitiba, Brazil. 

The main outcome of the meeting will be to give a new impetus to the Convention and agree on a "roadmap" to achieve the 2010 Biodiversity Target: of achieving a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biological diversity by 2010, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals.

Other expected outcomes of the meeting include:

•  a new impetus to the negotiation of an international regime on access and benefit-sharing, one of the three pillars of the Convention;

•  the adoption of a set of measures and objectives for the protection and sustainable use of the vulnerable biodiversity of islands;

•  review of progress and agreement on future priorities for the preservation, maintenance and promotion of traditional knowledge relevant to biological diversity;

•  agreement on the second phase of a work programme on dry and sub-humid lands taking into account the international year on deserts and desertification;

•  to further advance the scientific work of the Convention on taxonomy within the framework of a global partnership;

•  to adopt new initiatives to raise awareness globally on the seriousness and grave consequences of the biodiversity crisis.

9 to 20 February 2004 - Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Priority issues for the Seventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 7) included the biological diversity of mountain ecosystems, the role of protected areas in the preservation of biological diversity, the transfer of technology and technology cooperation, as well as implementation of the target set at its sixth meeting to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity. Out comes of the Convention on Biodiversity COP 7 and Biosafety Protocol MOP 1: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-07-dec-en.pdf http://www.europarl.eu.int/comparl/envi/pdf/speeches/20040308/wallstrom_en.pdf

Sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 6)

The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 6) has been held in the Hague from 7 to 19 April 2002 at the kind invitation of the Government of the Netherlands. The Host Government Agreement between the Government of the Netherlands and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity was signed in The Hague on 13 February 2001.

At its sixth meeting, the COP received reports from its subsidiary bodies, the Executive Secretary and the Global Environment Facility, review the implementation of the programme of work, and focus on the following issues that were considered in depth: forest biological diversity; invasive alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species; access and benefit-sharing as related to genetic resources; strategic plan, national reporting and operations of the Convention. Furthermore, the meeting adopted a budget for the next biennium. Out comes of the Convention on Biodiversity COP 6: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-06-dec-en.pdf http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/57/

The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 5) has been held in the Nairobi Government of Kenya from 15 to 26 May 2000. Major themes at meeting of the COP 5:

The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 4) has been held in the Bratislava, Slovakia from 4-15 May 1998. Major themes at meeting of the COP 4:

Inland water ecosystems; Review of the operations of the Convention; Article 8(j) and related issues (traditional knowledge); Benefit sharing. Out comes of the Convention on Biodiversity COP 4: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-04-dec-en.pdf

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 3) has been held in the Buenos Aires, Argentina from 4 - 15 November 1996.   Major themes at meeting of the COP 3:

The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 2) has been held in the Jakarta, Indonesia from 6 - 17 November 1995. Major themes at meeting of the COP 2:

Marine and coastal biological diversity; Access to genetic resources; Conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity; Biosafety. Out comes of the Convention on Biodiversity COP 2: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/decisions/COP-02-dec-en.pdf

First meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 1)

The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 1) has been held in the Nassau, Bahamas from 28 November - 9 December 1994. Major themes at meeting of the COP 1: