Slow progress as governments met to discuss the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan
In preparation for the 16th meeting of the Biodiversity COP16 later this year, delegates gathered for the fourth meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-4) which took place in Nairobi, Kenya between 21 and 29 May.
As SBI-4 marked the first meeting of the Subsidiary Body since the adoption of the Biodiversity Plan in 2022, it was an important opportunity for governments and other stakeholders to review and discuss the progress on implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.
Key takeaways
Progress on NBSAPs, but lack of business and finance considerations
Governments are expected to submit their updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) by COP16. To date, only eight governments have done so, but many governments have committed to submit their strategies in time for COP16. Unfortunately, there were limited references or discussions regarding the role of businesses and financial institutions in the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan. Governments were preoccupied with how to best fulfill their own obligations to publish national targets and NBSAPs before COP16, possibly at a detriment of the whole-of-society approach adopted in the Plan.
Business for Nature delivered an intervention emphasizing the need for NBSAPs to recognize the importance of the participation of business and finance actors along other non-state actors, and to outline their expected roles and responsibilities in the implementation of key targets of the Biodiversity Plan. along other non-state actors, and to outline their expected roles and responsibilities in the implementation of key targets.
Financing gap needs to be addressed
The resource mobilization strategy defines how the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan will be financed, including how some governments should provide financial support to others, in line with Target 19 of the Biodiversity Plan. This is a contentious issue and is expected to be a key negotiation item at COP16 later this year.
At SBI-4, many developing countries expressed concerns about their lack of financial resources, which remains a major roadblock to achieving the Biodiversity Plan, and they called on developed countries to meet and scale up their funding. There were also calls for the establishment of a new global biodiversity fund under the CBD, as several governments noted that existing mechanisms for financing, including the existing Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, are insufficient.
Encouraging push for biodiversity mainstreaming
The Biodiversity Plan calls for a whole-of-society approach, meaning action on biodiversity should be embraced by all actors, including the public and private sectors and civil society. This push for biodiversity mainstreaming is most welcome but now needs to translated into credible action.
At the Biodiversity COP14 in 2018, governments adopted a long-term strategic approach to biodiversity mainstreaming (LTAM) that aimed at guiding governments in this process. However, at SBI-4, the future of the LTAM was called into question with a consensus amongst governments that the goals of the LTAM were sufficiently covered under the Biodiversity Plan itself. Also, governments were not sufficiently involved in the drafting of the LTAM, making it impractical to implement.
As biodiversity mainstreaming is essential to an effective implementation of the Biodiversity Plan, the suggestions proposed to progress on mainstreaming, including on the creation of a special coalition, the development of a technical guidance document, and a dedicated agenda on mainstreaming until 2030 are most welcome.
Road to COP16
Looking ahead, there is much work to be done in the run up to Biodiversity COP16 to progress on these important issues and to ensure a successful outcome that will accelerate the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.
As a global coalition, Business for Nature and its partner organizations will bring together leading businesses at COP16 who are ready to push for high ambition and accelerated government action by demonstrating business leadership and action in this decade of implementation. To learn more, visit our COP16 page.