By Meenal Tatpati, Research and Policy Associate, Women4Biodiversity
This article was originally published on 29 October 2024 in the ECO issue 70(7) of the CBD Alliance
At COP15, Parties to the Convention adopted Target 23 on gender equality and participation, as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF, Decision 15/4) also stresses that the successful implementation of the framework will depend on ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. At the same time, Parties also adopted the post-2020 Gender Plan of Action (2022-2030) (GPA, Decision 15/11). The 2023-2030 GPA highlights specific gender-responsive actions, deliverables, and timelines for various stakeholders, including Parties, the Secretariat, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), women’s groups/networks, and other relevant organizations, marking significant progress from previous plans. An approach for designing and using indicators to help monitor the implementation progress of the GBF was subsequently proposed through CBD/SBSTTA/24/3 and subsequently, the Monitoring Framework (Decision 15/5).
According to the CBD, biodiversity indicators are infor-mation tools that summarise data on complex environmental issues to indicate the overall status and trends of biodiversity. They can be used to assess national performance and to signal key issues to be addressed through policy interventions and other actions.
Gender-sensitive indicators are essential for measuring progress towards commitments Parties have made regarding gender-responsiveness in the implementation of the KMGBF Target. Though missing a headline indicator, a set of component and complimentary indicators were adopted at COP15. Parties will consider the recommendations of SBSTTA26 towards the development of the Monitoring Framework. SBSTAA26 has recommended a global binary indicator for Target 23 as well as a component indicator for Target 23 (23.b) on the national implementation of the Gender Plan of Action.
However, the component indicator while adopted, lacked a robust methodology. Women4Biodiversity and UNEP-WCMC have collaborated with several Parties and key stakeholders to develop a methodology for the said indicator that will support. Parties to comprehensively measure progress towards gender-responsive implementation of the Framework. During SBSTTA26 , Parties officially recognised the process of development of the methodology (CBD/SBSTTA/26/L.10). Since then, the metadata has been co-developed with Parties, having undergone a process of peer-review and updating.
Component and complementary indicators are additional indicators that provide more detailed insights on progress towards the goals and targets of the KM-GBF. The component indicator on the National Implementation of the Gender Plan of Action is therefore crucial in the monitoring framework, enabling Parties to track progress towards Target 23 more accurately, and providing valuable information that can feed into the binary indicator for this target.
Notes
- Metadata: https://gbf-indicators.org/metadata/other/23-1-C
- Calculation tool: https://resources.unep-wcmc.org/products/WCMC_CB058
- For more information on the indicator and process of co-development, please contact [email protected]
Meenal Tatpati is a researcher with a keen interest in the jurisprudence and governance mechanisms of forests. Her earliest work has been with research and advocacy on the implementation of the Forests Rights Act in India and its relevance in the governance of Protected Areas and the unrealised potential of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) provisions. Some of the highlights of her work have been documenting the life stories of the women of the Dongria Kondh community in Odisha, India and the Raika pastoralist community in Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. Meenal also coordinated the national-level Community Forest Rights Learning and Advocacy Process from 2014 to 2017 in India. She was part of the global Academic Activist Coproduced Knowledge in Environmental Justice (ACKNOWL-EJ) network of academic scholars engaged in action and collaborative research with local communities on environmental issues, and part of the Rangelands and Pastoralism Territories of Life Group within the ICCA (Indigenous Peoples and Community Conserved Territories and Areas)-Consortium as a research associate. Meenal has an LLB and a Master in Environmental Sciences. Away from work, she is an amateur birdwatcher and photographer and is also learning not to take herself too seriously!
