Mr. Francis Meri Sabino Ogwal

OEWG Co-Chair

I am a holder of a Masters Degree in Environment and Natural Resources from Makerere University, Uganda. I have 26 years in biodiversity and environment management, of which 16 years I have served has been on international level on biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Currently I worked with the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) as a Natural Resources Manager (Biodiversity and Rangelands). I have been the CBD National Focal Point for the for Uganda since 2005 to-date. In 2010 I was among experts that were selected to provide technical input on the development of the current Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. I served as Vice President in COP Bureau from 2012-2014. Between 2012-2016 I was a co-chair for resources mobilization and financial mechanism. In 2016, the Conference of the Parties elected me the first Chair of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI). I effectively guided Parties while holding this portfolio between December 2016 to November 2018. At COP14 in November 2018, I was designating Co-chair for the development of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, a portfolio which runs up to COP15 . To-date I have attended and participated in seven meetings of COP, seven meetings of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (COPMOP) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and three meetings of COPMOP to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing. I have attended, since 2005 to date all meetings of the Subsidiary Body Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) and the meetings of the Working Group on Article 8j of the CBD. In May 2019, I received a Presidential Award in recognition of my contribution to in advancing the course for biodiversity.