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.