Highlights and images for 16 October 2024

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is humanity’s blueprint to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Astrid Schomaker stressed. The delegate from Tanzania then recalled that biodiversity is “life, livelihood, and the cornerstone of the economy.”

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

Adoption of the GBF in 2022, including a set of four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030, was a milestone for global biodiversity governance toward the vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. Achievement of its goals and targets, though, depends on national action. Adopting national targets and updating national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) is the first step toward implementation.

As the fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 5) opened in Cali, Colombia, delegates shared progress reports on the development and submission of national targets and the updating of NBSAPs.

According to the Convention’s online reporting tool, to date, 94 parties have submitted their national targets and 29 have submitted their updated NBSAPs, with numbers still rising. Delegates reported on their national processes and efforts to implement the GBF following whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. They also pointed to the usefulness of a series of regional and subregional workshops and dialogues on NBSAPs, organized by the CBD Secretariat in collaboration with various partners.

At the same time, parties highlighted challenges encountered in developing their biodiversity targets and strategies. Many stressed the need for financial resources and capacity building, as well as technology transfer, and technical and scientific collaboration.

Delegates particularly stressed data gaps and challenges related to the development of indicators and monitoring capacity, including toward assessing the contribution of national actions to achieving global goals. They also underscored linkages between development and implementation of NBSAPs in developing countries on the one hand, and implementation of financial commitments by developed countries on the other.

A pilot open-ended forum for voluntary country review convened in the afternoon. The forum is part of the enhanced multidimensional approach to planning, monitoring, reporting, and review, adopted by Decision 15/6 in 2022 with a view to enhancing the implementation of the Convention and the GBF. Held in an informal, interactive setting, the forum seeks to understand parties’ needs and challenges, and to share and inspire solutions to implement the GBF.