Highlights and images for 29 October 2025

On the penultimate day of the inaugural meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) (SB8j), delegates worked hard throughout the day and into the evening, trying to progress on important agenda items.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

Parties and IPLC representatives met in plenary in the afternoon and evening to address the recommendations of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), and conference room papers (CRPs) on:

• the in-depth dialogue on strategies for mobilizing resources to ensure the availability of, and access to, financial resources and other means of implementation for IPLCs, including women and youth, to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF); and
• the process to review and update the Voluntary Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts Within the Context of Article 8(j).

Many delegates recognized the importance of the UNPFII as a consultative platform to ensure that Indigenous Peoples’ rights are respected and supported the draft recommendation. Deliberations focused on terminology issues around “Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” with some Parties calling to treat IPLCs “as one unit in paper and in practice,” and urging not to depart from agreed terminology.

Discussions on the in-depth dialogue on resource mobilization focused on, among other things, references to a human-rights based approach; capacity-building and technology transfer; and the specific challenges facing developing country Parties.

Delegates further addressed provisions encouraging Parties to take into account the dialogue’s outcomes; and inviting funding providers and initiatives to identify finance solutions and consider ways to facilitate direct funding access to IPLCs, including by establishing or enhancing simplified procedures and dedicated funding windows.

On the process to review and update the voluntary glossary, Parties focused on the process outlined in the annex. Following informal consultations regarding the inclusion of Afrodescendants in the first step of the process, delegates agreed on compromise text inviting “relevant Parties, in line with national legislation and circumstances, to include views and experiences of people of African descent, comprising collectives embodying traditional lifestyles, in their submissions.” Delegates also accepted including in brackets an additional step for a peer review process on the outcomes of the ad hoc technical expert group.

Contact group discussions continued in the morning and afternoon on the modus operandi of the SB8j and on elements for guidelines related to two tasks of the programme of work on Article 8(j): strengthening the legal and policy framework for the implementation of GBF Targets 2 (restore 30% of all degraded ecosystems) and 3 (conserve 30% of land, waters, and seas); and the inclusion of traditional lands and resource use in spatial planning processes and environmental impact assessments.