The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity was established as an open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and is to report regularly to the COP on all aspects of its work. Its functions include: providing assessments of the status of biological diversity; assessments of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention; and respond to questions that the COP may put to the body. How SBSTTA carries out its work is described in its modus operandi, which can be found in Annex 1 of decision IV/16, as amended by decision V/20. To date, SBSTTA had met 17 times to date and produced a total of 179 recommendations to the Conference of the Parties, some of which have been endorsed in full by the latter. Such endorsement makes these recommendations de facto decisions of the Conference of the Parties. Parts of other recommendations have also been endorsed, and many others have been taken up in modified form. The eighteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 18) took place from 23 to 28 June 2014, at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Montreal, Canada, and was preceded, on Sunday 22 June, by an EU consultation meeting. The Belgian delegation consisted of: • Hendrik SEGERS (SBSTTA NFP, head of delegation, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) • Catherine DEBRUYNE (Direction Générale de l'Agriculture, des Ressources Naturelles et de l'Environnement, Service Public de Wallonie) • Hilde EGGERMONT (Belgian Biodiversity Platform) • Kelly HERTENWEG (Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment) • Sophie MIRGAUX (Federal public service health, food chain safety and environment) • Marianne SCHLESSER (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) • Marie-Lucie SUSINI (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences)

Report of the Belgian delegation to SBSTTA 18