By Marie Salvatrice Musabyeyezu –Managing Director/ Go Green&Rstore Africa Action (GGRAA), Joyce Peshu – Program Officer at Kenya Wildlife Association and Nondumiso Dumakude–Climate Positive Land Use Planning Relationship Manager at Conservation South Africa
From February 16 to 20, 2025, key stakeholders gathered at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, for a Sub-regional Capacity-Building Workshop focused on Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and Article 8(j) on Traditional Knowledge. Organized by CBD, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, and other partners, the event aimed to enhance the implementation of Target 3 in Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa, addressing the management of protected areas, challenges, and opportunities, while emphasizing rights-based approaches and gender justice in biodiversity conservation.
The CBD Women’s Caucus was represented by Marie Salvatrice Musabyeyezu, an expert in biodiversity conservation, policy advocacy, and community engagement; Joyce Peshu, a gender practitioner in biodiversity conservation; and Nondumiso Dumakude, a researcher and stakeholder engagement specialist focused on biodiversity and the involvement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). Their participation highlighted the Caucus’s ongoing commitment to advancing gender justice, women’s Indigenous rights, and inclusive governance in biodiversity policies.
For the CBD Women’s Caucus, this workshop also underscored the importance of gender justice in biodiversity governance, especially as the world moves towards the «30×30» target. It emphasized the need to involve women directly in conservation efforts, recognize Indigenous territories, and ensure that conservation strategies align with the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). The event reaffirmed the Caucus’s commitment to ensuring that women’s voices are central in global biodiversity efforts.
Event Highlights and Activities
The CBD Women’s Caucus members participated in various sessions, contributing their insights and experiences. They engaged in key discussions and advocated for inclusive governance models, gender-responsive policies, and the recognition of IPLC rights in achieving the Kunming-Montreal GBF goals.
Key Sessions and Themes:
- Introduction to Article 8(j): This session emphasized the co-governance of biodiversity with IPLCs
- Target 3: Introduction and overview of Target 3, progress, challenges, and opportunities in the implementation of Target 3
- Strategic Review of the Programme of Work
- Tools and Resources to Achieve 30×30: Countries and other participants learned about HAC tools
- Achieving Target 3 by 2030 / OECMs: Participants learned about Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs)
- Achieving Target 3 by 2030
- Achieving Target 3, Human Rights, Equity, and Governance: Presentations on integrating human rights, equity, and governance into national implementation of Target 3 / Women’s Caucus made their presentation on gender and biodiversity / youth also presented in this part.
- Gender Equity and Biodiversity Governance: The Women’s Caucus made a presentation on February 18 during the session on «Human Rights, Equity, and Governance» within the context of Target 3. The presentation stressed the importance of gender justice in conservation governance, IPLC rights, and ensuring that marginalized groups—especially women and IPLCs—are not left behind in conservation efforts
- World Café: Cooperation and partnership in achieving Target 3
- Field Trip to Nairobi National Park: Participants not only explored conservation opportunities, challenges, and successes on the ground but also exchanged with Kenya Wildlife Service leaders.
- Priority Actions: Regional to local priorities to achieve Target 3 were discussed.
Outcomes and Next Steps
The workshop concluded on February 20, 2025, after countries from Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa discussed tools, solutions, and challenges to achieving Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Key outcomes from the event included:
- A commitment from participating countries to strengthen policies that support Indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and integrate a gender-responsive approach into biodiversity policies and strategies.
- Development of partnerships among governments, NGOs, and Indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) to foster inclusive approaches to conservation.
- Emphasis on the importance of transparent governance and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms to ensure that conservation efforts are both effective and fair.
The CBD Women’s Caucus continues to champion gender justice in biodiversity governance and will follow up on the action points discussed at the workshop. Readers are encouraged to stay connected with the Caucus as they work to influence global biodiversity policies and ensure that women and girls alongside with the Indigenous people and local communities and youth have a seat at the table in future negotiations.
