COP17 archivos - CBD Women's Caucus

CBD SBI-7 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis

c1652146 — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:36:29 +0000

SBI plays a critical role in shaping the institutional, financial and practical conditions through which commitments under the CBD are translated into action. At SBI-7, this included consideration of the Global Review and accelerated implementation of the KMGBF, resource mobilization and the financial mechanism, digital sequence information, capacity-building and technical and scientific cooperation, the Nagoya Protocol, knowledge management, mainstreaming, and biodiversity education.

Across these discussions, gender and justice are not separate from implementation: they shape who participates in decisions, whose knowledge and contributions are recognized, who has access to finance and technical support, and how the costs and benefits of biodiversity action are distributed. Several negotiations also raised a fundamental question about how Indigenous Peoples and local communities, women and youth are recognized within the Convention, including whether their distinct rights, roles and contributions remain visible or are subsumed within broader categories of actors and stakeholders.

This CBD Women’s Caucus analysis examines selected SBI-7 outcomes through this gender and justice lens, highlighting progress, unresolved issues and priorities for COP17.

Share this policy analysis with your colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable and effective biodiversity decisions ahead of COP17.

Year: 2026
Type: Policy analysis
Authors: CBD Women’s Caucus, with contributions from » Amelia Arreguín Prado, Cristina Eghenter, Edda Fernandez, Fatima El-aaraby, Laura Bermudez, Shruti Ajit and Pamela Tapia Diaz»
Themes: Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review (Global Report and Monitoring Framework), IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment, Sustainable Wildlife Management, Programme of Work on Protected Areas (Target 3), Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (EBSAs and BBNJ Agreement)

La entrada CBD SBI-7 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis se publicó primero en CBD Women's Caucus.

CBD SBSTTA-28 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis

c1652146 — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:24:32 +0000

As the Convention’s scientific and technical body, SBSTTA plays a critical role in shaping the evidence, guidance and technical foundations that inform decisions under the CBD. At SBSTTA-28, this included consideration of the Global Report and Monitoring Framework, the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment, new global guidance on sustainable wildlife management, the strategic review of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas, and scientific and technical work on marine and coastal biodiversity.

Across these discussions, important questions of gender, rights, knowledge and equity were embedded within issues often treated as primarily scientific or technical: what counts as evidence and whose knowledge is recognized; how progress is measured; how differentiated impacts are captured; what safeguards accompany technical guidance; and whether women, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are recognized as knowledge holders and contributors to biodiversity governance. This CBD Women’s Caucus analysis examines selected SBSTTA-28 outcomes through this gender and justice lens, highlighting both advances and issues that remain unresolved as the recommendations move to COP17.

Share this policy analysis with your colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable and effective biodiversity decisions ahead of COP17.

Year: 2026
Type: Policy analysis
Authors: CBD Women’s Caucus, with contributions from » Amelia Arreguín Prado, Berta Medrano, Cristina Eghenter, Joyce Peshu, Laura Bermudez, Meenal Tatpati and Pamela Tapia Diaz«
Themes: Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review (Global Report and Monitoring Framework), IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment, Sustainable Wildlife Management, Programme of Work on Protected Areas (Target 3), Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (EBSAs and BBNJ Agreement)

La entrada CBD SBSTTA-28 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis se publicó primero en CBD Women's Caucus.

Strengthening Gender-Responsive Technical and Scientific Cooperation for KM-GBF Implementation: The Role of Regional and Subregional Support Centres

c1652146 — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:30:58 +0000

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of the CBD Women’s Caucus

On 4 August, the CBD Women’s Caucus — in collaboration with RCMRD, CARICOM, SPREP, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN CEESP — hosted a side event at SBI-7 in Nairobi on one of the most underexplored questions in biodiversity governance: how can regional and subregional support centres within the Technical and Scientific Cooperation (TSC) Mechanism become genuine partners for gender-responsive KM-GBF implementation? The session was livestreamed on the CBD Women’s Caucus YouTube channel, reaching participants both in Room CR-11 and online. Throughout the evening, a live Mentimeter ran in parallel — giving everyone in the room and joining remotely a direct channel to contribute their perspectives on the challenges, opportunities and practical measures needed to strengthen gender-responsive TSC implementation.

The event brought together representatives from regional support centres, women’s organisations, Parties and technical partners to exchange regional experiences, identify gaps and generate practical recommendations ahead of COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia. Speakers underscored a shared message: the question is not whether gender should be integrated into technical and scientific cooperation — it is how to make the cooperation itself inclusive, from knowledge generation to access to technology, to decision-making and policy implementation.

Opening: Why This Conversation Matters

Ms. Edda Fernández Luiselli, Chair of the CBD Women’s Caucus Board of Directors, opened the session by setting the scene — and the urgency. She noted that despite the clear relevance of women’s roles and rights to biodiversity implementation, there had been limited discussion on how the TSC Mechanism could integrate gender-responsive approaches into its mandates, programming, technical assistance, partnerships and implementation support. Grounded in the principle that global goals mean little if they do not foster national implementation, she outlined two key messages from the Caucus: first, that TSCs can play an important role by facilitating capacity-building, peer-learning and cooperation on gender-responsive implementation at the regional level; and second, by mobilising and engaging a regional network of women’s organisations to support implementation through a whole-of-society approach. This conversation, she stressed, was a starting point — not a conclusion.

The TSC Mechanism: Where Are We Now?

Ms. Sojung Kang, Associate Expert at the CBD Secretariat, presented an overview of the TSC Mechanism via video — where it stands, what it does, and how gender considerations are being addressed. She explained that the mechanism, established at COP15 and operationalised at COP16 with 18 regional and subregional support centres, operates as a network of networks — connecting countries with the knowledge, expertise, technologies and partners they need across Africa, Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia. The centres act as connectors and facilitators: promoting demand-driven cooperation, serving as one-stop service centres, mobilising resources and facilitating matchmaking, sharing knowledge and lessons learned, and maximising synergies with existing mechanisms.

On gender, Ms. Kang was candid: the Global Coordination Entity is mandated under COP Decision 16-3 to develop guidelines to ensure gender-responsive approaches and the active engagement of women, youth and Indigenous Peoples and local communities — but this work had not yet been taken forward due to resource constraints, and the gender position at the Secretariat had been vacant for some time. She nonetheless announced a clear commitment for the next biennium: the development of gender guidelines will be included among the Secretariat’s priorities, as a gender specialist is expected to join the team. She called on Parties and organisations to review TSC work plans, identify opportunities to integrate gender-responsive approaches, partner with TSC centres on capacity development, and work with the Global Coordination Entity to develop the gender guidelines collectively.

Setting the Scene for the Panel

Ms. Tiffany Straza, International Policy and Conventions Lead at UNEP-WCMC, introduced the panel and framed the moment. She highlighted the strong political mandate for gender-responsive KM-GBF implementation and the particular relevance of the TSC Mechanism as a vehicle for cooperation — not just with countries, but between TSC centres themselves and with the Global Coordination Entity. She acknowledged the difficult context in which the work is taking place — where organisations are being asked to do more with less — and noted that a whole-of-society approach and genuine cooperation are among the most effective responses. She reminded participants that the Mentimeter was available for those in the room and online to share their perspectives throughout the session.

CARICOM: Technical Cooperation as a Necessity, Not a Luxury

Ms. Teshia Jn Baptiste, Senior Project Officer at CARICOM, offered a Caribbean small island developing states perspective via video. She highlighted that women across the Caribbean are scientists, researchers, farmers, natural resource managers, entrepreneurs, indigenous knowledge holders, community leaders and environmental advocates — highly visible in tertiary education, public sector leadership and international environmental negotiations including BBNJ and the CBD. The challenge is not the absence of capable women or of women’s leadership, but whether gender-responsive approaches are being applied deliberately and consistently across biodiversity planning, technical cooperation, financing, implementation and monitoring.

Ms. Jn Baptiste highlighted the CARICOM TSC Five-Year Work Plan as a concrete example of what is possible — with provisions for a regional roster of experts that could systematically include women scientists and indigenous women knowledge holders, a Caribbean-wide biodiversity data hub, regional biodiversity monitoring frameworks, and regional guidelines for gender-disaggregated data production. She also noted the CARICOM TSC Action Plan’s recognition of traditional knowledge, free, prior and informed consent, and engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities — creating opportunities to recognise indigenous women as partners in biodiversity governance. She was direct about what is still missing: dedicated gender expertise, weak monitoring frameworks, insufficient resources for gender analysis, and engagement with women’s organisations that is frequently ad hoc rather than systematic. Better data, she stressed, will lead to better policies and more effective interventions.

RCMRD: Gender-Blind Data and the Limits of Event-Driven Partnerships

Ms. Abigael Sum, Communications Specialist at RCMRD, delivered one of the most candid and resonant interventions of the evening — bringing an African regional perspective that captured both what is working and what is not. She reframed the central question: the issue is not whether gender should be integrated into technical and scientific cooperation, but how to make the cooperation itself inclusive — from knowledge generation to access to technology, to decision-making and policy implementation.

She was honest about RCMRD’s gaps. Capacity needs assessments across the countries the centre serves show that support is needed not just in technical areas — GIS, earth observation, biodiversity monitoring, spatial planning, biodiversity reporting and data management — but also in inclusive planning approaches and stronger integration of women, youth and IPLCs. The data pipeline is not systematically disaggregated. Partnerships with women’s organisations tend to be event-driven, built around specific activities rather than sustained over time — meaning there is no long-term relationship with these organisations, and this remains a significant challenge.

She also named the fundamental data problem: a lot of the biodiversity data RCMRD works with is gender-blind. The centre can map exactly where a wetland or a forest is, or where restoration is happening — but it often cannot tell who depends on it, who manages it day by day, or how the loss of that ecosystem affects women differently. If that data is not captured, the policy built on it will not capture it either. And underlying all of this: the demand for gender-responsive technical support already outstrips what is being delivered.

SPREP: Staying Real to the Ground

Ms. Monifa Fiu, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Adviser at SPREP, spoke on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States — a region where SPREP hosts the TSC but is operating with no dedicated resources. Despite this constraint, SPREP is leveraging existing projects, bilateral partnerships and the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation to advance inclusive biodiversity action. She highlighted the Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation — now in its 11th edition, to be held with the Government of New Caledonia — as a key space for amplifying voices from the ground up, including through a Global Youth Biodiversity Network chapter and a Pacific Nature First Indigenous Voices Dialogue. Her practical message for the TSC network: ensuring that communication and messaging does not blur is essential — because women’s groups and socially vulnerable groups in Pacific communities do not need to deal with complexity. The work must stay real and connected to the issues on the ground.

IUCN : Embedding Gender from the Start

Ms. Sonia Peña Moreno, Director of the IUCN Centre for Policy and Law, spoke on behalf of IUCN, which hosts four regional TSC centres across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Mediterranean, Asia and West Asia. She shared concrete examples of gender-responsive action already underway. The IUCN Asia Regional Office held its first two steering committee meetings in April and June 2025 — and for both, invited Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International and Women for Biodiversity to the table, ensuring women’s organisations were embedded in decision-making from the very beginning, not just consulted. The same approach will be followed for the first in-person steering committee meeting, planned for Bangkok in December.

The Asia Regional Office is also working jointly with the Asia Protected Areas Partnership, the International Ranger Federation, the Asia Ranger Federation and Women for Biodiversity to produce the first-ever publication on Asia’s Women Rangers: Voices from the Frontlines of Conservation — compiling stories from Nepal’s anti-poaching units, Bhutan’s high-altitude patrols and Sri Lanka’s elephant conflict officers. This publication will be launched at next year’s World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress in Panama. Meanwhile, the IUCN West Asia Regional Office has published the first-ever gender-sensitive protected area management effectiveness tool for Jordan, and in Egypt and Saudi Arabia is aligning national protected area management plans with gender criteria through the IUCN Green List Standard

The Secretariat's Role: Coordination as a Vehicle for Gender Integration

Ms. Kristina Taboulchanas, Programme Manager at the CBD Secretariat, brought the perspective of the Global Coordination Entity — the body responsible for facilitating coordination, communication and collaboration across the TSC network. She welcomed the conversation and expressed genuine excitement at hearing what the different centres are already doing on gender — noting that many centres have not yet been reached out to, and that this remains an area to work on. She confirmed that the development of gender guidelines is included in the Secretariat’s work plan for the next biennium, and that the Secretariat is actively looking to identify organisations that could contribute to and become part of the network of networks. She highlighted the monthly and annual coordination meetings as concrete vehicles for mainstreaming gender integration across centres — spaces where centres already learn from each other, share good practices and tools. This, she stressed, is the Secretariat’s core role: bringing everyone together to share.

CBD Women's Caucus: Intentionality, Guidelines and the Network of Networks

Ms. Amelia Arreguín Prado, Coordinator of the CBD Women’s Caucus, closed the panel with three key messages. First, she welcomed the conversation itself — noting that from the Caucus’s perspective, bringing together the TSC centres to discuss what the gender mandate actually means in practice was something that had been missing. She called on all participants to learn from each other and to build on what is already working.

Second, she addressed the recurring claim that gender approaches cannot be implemented due to lack of funding or capacity — arguing that what matters above all is intentionality. Even small actions, when deliberate, can shift practice. She pointed to the decisions being taken at SBI-7 and heading into COP17 as the moment to embed that intentionality into concrete commitments. Third, she issued a direct call to Parties: request the gender guidelines from the Secretariat and TSC centres, because if they are not requested, they will not be developed.

She closed with a vision of collective action — naming gender focal points as superpowered allies, eager to support and to be supported — and calling on everyone to see what they can contribute. The CBD Women’s Caucus, with its 900+ members and the Gender and Biodiversity Focal Points Network, stands ready to partner.

Closing: Three Key Messages

Ms. Edda Fernández Luiselli closed the session by distilling the evening’s discussion into three core messages: the strong political mandate for gender-responsive implementation must be grounded in regional cooperation; the TSC Mechanism is a necessity — not a luxury — for gender justice, environmental justice and the exchange of diverse knowledge systems; and intentionality is the common strength that will carry the work forward. The CBD Women’s Caucus, she reaffirmed, is open and ready to engage with all centres — on the ground and throughout the negotiations leading to COP17.

Key Messages

The side event generated the following key messages:

The TSC Mechanism has a clear political mandate for gender-responsive implementation — but work on gender guidelines has not yet been taken forward due to resource constraints. This must change in the next biennium.
The question is not whether gender should be integrated — it is how to make the cooperation itself inclusive, from knowledge generation to decision-making.
Biodiversity data remains largely gender-blind — we can map ecosystems but cannot tell who depends on them, who manages them, or how their loss affects women differently.
Partnerships with women’s organisations must be long-term, sustained and institutionalised — not event-driven.
Good practices are already underway across regions and must be systematically shared across the network of networks.
Parties must actively request gender-responsive guidelines from the CBD Secretariat and TSC centres — because if they are not requested, they will not be developed.
The Gender and Biodiversity Focal Points Network and the CBD Women’s Caucus — with its 900+ members — stand ready to partner with TSC centres.

🎥 Watch the full recording here

La entrada Strengthening Gender-Responsive Technical and Scientific Cooperation for KM-GBF Implementation: The Role of Regional and Subregional Support Centres se publicó primero en CBD Women's Caucus.

CBD Women’s Caucus Policy Recommendations for CBD SBI-7

c1652146 — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 14:17:12 +0000

The seventh meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI 7) provides a critical opportunity to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) by strengthening the enabling conditions needed to achieve its goals and targets. The agenda addresses key building blocks for implementation—including planning, finance, technical and scientific cooperation, knowledge management, mainstreaming, communication and education—that will determine whether the Framework delivers transformative, equitable and lasting outcomes.

This document presents the CBD Women’s Caucus’ priority messages and targeted textual recommendations for the draft decisions under SBI 7. Our proposals are intended to strengthen implementation by ensuring that biodiversity policies, finance, capacity-building, knowledge systems and governance mechanisms are gender-responsive, rights-based and better equipped to support those who are already driving biodiversity action on the ground.

Share these recommendations with colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable, and effective biodiversity decisions at SBI-7 and beyond.

Year: 2026
Type: Policy recommendations
Authors: CBD Women’s Caucus
Themes: Global Review of Collective Progress, Resource Mobilisation, Financial Mechanism, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Nagoya Protocol, Synthetic Biology, Subnational Governments and Local Authorities, Capacity Building and Technical & Scientific Cooperation (TSC), Clearing-House Mechanism, Mainstreaming, Communication Education and Public Awareness (CEPA)

La entrada CBD Women’s Caucus Policy Recommendations for CBD SBI-7 se publicó primero en CBD Women's Caucus.

From Biodiversity Action to Ecological Justice: The CBD Women’s Caucus at the Biodiversity Policy and Alliance Building Meeting

c1652146 — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 11:08:40 +0000

By ***Ms.* Meenal Tatpatii, *CBD Women’s Caucus member***

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of the CBD Women’s Caucus

As preparations intensify for the seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), it is increasingly evident that achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) will require more than technical negotiations and implementation plans. It demands stronger alliances across social movements and a shared commitment to addressing the structural drivers of biodiversity loss. It was in this spirit that the Biodiversity Policy and Alliance Building Meeting brought together civil society organisations, activists and policy advocates from around the world in Janda Baik, Malaysia. Meenal Tatpati (Independent Lawyer and Consultant, India) represented the CBD Women’s Caucus at the meeting and ensured that feminist perspectives remained central to conversations on biodiversity governance.

About the Event

Convened by Third World Network (TWN) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), in collaboration with Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Friends of the Earth International from the 4th to the 7th of July, 2026, the four-day meeting brought together representatives from civil society organisations, environmental justice movements, youth networks and policy advocates to reflect on the implementation of the CBD and the KM-GBF ahead of COP17. It was built on a previous meeting convened in Panama in 2025.

Unlike many policy meetings focused solely on negotiations, this gathering sought to examine biodiversity loss within the wider context of interconnected ecological, social and economic crises. Participants explored the structural causes of biodiversity destruction including unsustainable economic systems, harmful financial flows, extractive development models and growing inequalities and discussed pathways for building alliances beyond the biodiversity sector. The meeting’s objectives included analysing key issues expected at COP17, deepening understanding of thematic issues, strengthening collaboration across constituencies, identifying collective actions beyond the CBD process, and developing a shared vision for ecological justice. Meenal highlighted the importance of recognising women not merely as beneficiaries of conservation but as rights holders, knowledge holders and political actors whose leadership is essential for transformative biodiversity governance. She also emphasised that while important progress has been made through the adoption of the Gender Plan of Action and Target 23 of the KMGBF, implementation must move beyond participation towards addressing unequal power relations, securing rights and ensuring accountability.

Event Highlights and Activities

The four-day programme combined strategic discussions, thematic working sessions and collaborative planning exercises designed to develop shared analyses and coordinated advocacy ahead of COP17.

The meeting opened with discussions on understanding the biodiversity crisis within broader socio-ecological systems and developing a collective vision for transformative change. Participants reflected on how biodiversity policy must be connected with wider struggles for climate justice, food sovereignty, Indigenous rights, debt justice and economic transformation.

Throughout the meeting, participants explored several interconnected themes, including:

Financial and economic systems driving biodiversity loss;
Harmful subsidies and biodiversity-destructive activities;
False solutions, including biodiversity offsets and market-based approaches;
Human rights and biodiversity governance;
Climate change and biodiversity;
Agriculture and food systems;
Strategy development for COP17; and
Alliance building and movement outreach towards ecological justice.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to exchange experiences with organisations working across climate, agriculture, environmental justice and social movements, helping to identify areas for stronger collaboration beyond formal CBD negotiations.

Outcomes and Next Steps

One of the meeting’s strongest outcomes was a shared recognition that biodiversity governance cannot be separated from broader questions of justice, equity and systemic transformation. Participants reaffirmed the need for coordinated advocacy that addresses the structural drivers of biodiversity loss while promoting rights-based and community-led approaches to conservation.

Discussions also laid the groundwork for stronger collaboration among civil society organisations ahead of COP17, including joint messaging on key policy issues, movement-building beyond CBD spaces, and continued engagement around an emerging ecological justice agenda.

For the CBD Women’s Caucus, participation in the meeting reinforced the importance of ensuring that feminist perspectives remain embedded within broader biodiversity debates. As preparations continue towards COP17, the Caucus remains committed to working alongside allies to advance biodiversity governance that is equitable, rights-based and centred on the knowledge, leadership and lived experiences of women, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

La entrada From Biodiversity Action to Ecological Justice: The CBD Women’s Caucus at the Biodiversity Policy and Alliance Building Meeting se publicó primero en CBD Women's Caucus.

COP17 archivos - CBD Women's Caucus

CBD SBI-7 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis

Share this policy analysis with your colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable and effective biodiversity decisions ahead of COP17.

CBD SBSTTA-28 Outcomes: A CBD Women’s Caucus Analysis

Share this policy analysis with your colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable and effective biodiversity decisions ahead of COP17.

Strengthening Gender-Responsive Technical and Scientific Cooperation for KM-GBF Implementation: The Role of Regional and Subregional Support Centres

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of the CBD Women’s Caucus

Opening: Why This Conversation Matters

The TSC Mechanism: Where Are We Now?

Setting the Scene for the Panel

CARICOM: Technical Cooperation as a Necessity, Not a Luxury

RCMRD: Gender-Blind Data and the Limits of Event-Driven Partnerships

SPREP: Staying Real to the Ground

IUCN : Embedding Gender from the Start

The Secretariat's Role: Coordination as a Vehicle for Gender Integration

CBD Women's Caucus: Intentionality, Guidelines and the Network of Networks

Closing: Three Key Messages

Key Messages

🎥 Watch the full recording here

CBD Women’s Caucus Policy Recommendations for CBD SBI-7

Share these recommendations with colleagues and help advance gender-responsive, equitable, and effective biodiversity decisions at SBI-7 and beyond.

From Biodiversity Action to Ecological Justice: The CBD Women’s Caucus at the Biodiversity Policy and Alliance Building Meeting

By Ms. Meenal Tatpatii, CBD Women’s Caucus member

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of the CBD Women’s Caucus

About the Event

Event Highlights and Activities

Outcomes and Next Steps

By ***Ms.* Meenal Tatpatii, *CBD Women’s Caucus member***