Biodiversity, the diversity of life at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level, underpins all planetary support systems. Its continued decline reduces nature's ability to support life, including humans. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which was adopted in 2022 under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), aims to reverse this trend and put nature on a path to recovery. Whether the GBF can accomplish this goal and the necessary transformative change depends on its implementation.

The sixth meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 6) addressed a range of implementation-related items related to:

• resource mobilization and the financial mechanism;
• planning, monitoring, reporting, and review;
• capacity-building and development, and technical and scientific cooperation; and
• cooperation with other conventions and international organizations.

Among other issues, delegates reviewed the key findings of three studies on: the relationship between debt sustainability and CBD implementation; the implementation of the guidance on safeguards in biodiversity finance mechanisms, including good practices and lessons learned, and opportunities to improve it; and the relationship between biodiversity and climate finance.

They also considered the terms of reference (ToR) for the seventh quadrennial review of the effectiveness of the financial mechanism and the ToR for the full assessment of the amount of funds needed for implementation for the tenth replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund.

Delegates heard updates on national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national targets to support GBF implementation. They reviewed options to address technological, technical, and institutional capability gaps; and consider ToR for the independent evaluations of the relevance and effectiveness of the long-term strategic framework for capacity-building and development and the technical and scientific cooperation mechanism.

The session also considered the findings of the midterm review of the implementation of the Gender Plan of Action 2023–2030.

SBI 6 convened from 16–19 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, in Rome, Italy.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) writers for this meeting were Elsa Tsioumani, Ph.D.; Christina Fernandez; and Emma Vovk. The Digital Editor was Mike Muzurakis. The Editor was Pam Chasek, Ph.D.