On 22 May 2024, we celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity (IDB)! The theme for 2024 is “Be part of the Plan”, a call to action for all stakeholders to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), also referred to as the Biodiversity Plan.
The International Day for Biodiversity 2024 also coincided with two significant meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) happening right now in Nairobi, Kenya:
- The twenty-sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-26) from 13 May to 18 May 2024.
- The fourth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-4) from 21 May to 29 May 2024.
Note: Please go here to learn more about Women4Biodiversity’s engagements at SBSTTA-26 and SBI-4.
At Women4Biodiversity, we are proud to champion the invaluable roles of women and girls in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. We are dedicated to promoting gender-responsive approaches to biodiversity conservation. On International Day for Biodiversity, we salute the spirits of women and girls around the world, both seen and unseen, who are working to protect and restore biodiversity for the present and future generations.
Join us in celebrating the International Day for Biodiversity. We hope you will enjoy the messages we have curated for this special day!
📺 Video message from Astrid Puntes Riano, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Astrid Puntes Riano, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), highlights the vital link between biodiversity conservation and human rights in her message. She further stresses the need to ensure that human rights are at the centre of the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.
📺 Video message from Mrinalini Rai, Director of Women4Biodiversity
Women4Biodiversity’s Director, Mrinalini Rai, shared six key actions for successfully implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) or the Biodiversity Plan.
1️⃣ National and regional policies must integrate the KMGBF targets, ensuring that legal frameworks support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
2️⃣ Adequate resources must be allocated to support capacity building at all levels, especially for women and marginalized communities.
3️⃣ Robust monitoring and reporting frameworks must be established to track progress towards the KMGBF targets.
4️⃣ Encourage active participation from the whole of society from Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, youth and especially women to make them part of the plan.
5️⃣ Forge collaborative efforts between the Rio Conventions and other biodiversity-related Multilateral Environment Agreements, including governments, non-governmental organizations, and international bodies.
6️⃣ Eliminate barriers to women’s participation in biodiversity conservation, support women-led projects, and integrate gender perspectives into all biodiversity planning and implementation aspects.
📺 Biodiversity Beat Interview: Meenal Tatpati, Research & Policy Associate at Women4Biodiversity
At the SBSTTA26 meeting, Meenal Tatpati, Research and Policy Associate at Women4Biodiversity, was featured in Biodiversity Beat. Meenal was interviewed by David Ainsworth, Head of Communications at the CBD Secretariat. Meenal talks about gender as a cross-cutting issue that expands to marine and coastal biodiversity conservation as well as the importance of the Monitoring Framework to measure the progress of Target 23: Ensure Gender Equality and a Gender-Responsive Approach for Biodiversity Action of the Biodiversity Plan.
To learn more about the Monitoring Framework of Target 23, please go here.
📺 Biodiversity Beat Interview: Alejandra Duarte, Policy Associate at Women4Biodiversity
At the SBSTTA26 meeting, Alejandra Duarte, Policy Associate at Women4Biodiversity, was featured in Biodiversity Beat. Alejandra was interviewed by David Ainsworth, Head of Communications at CBD Secretariat. Alejandra talked about Women4Biodiversity supporting six women-led restoration sites in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Solomon Islands, which directly contributes to implementating of Target 2: Restore 30% of all Degraded Ecosystems of the Biodiversity Plan.
📺 Press Conference to Launch Two critical Gender Equality Documents
On 23 May 2024, Women4Biodiversity held a press conference at SBI-4 to celebrate International Day for Biodiversity 2024 and to launch two essential documents to advance gender equality in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).
First, Women4Biodiversity launched its in-house publication, Gender Equality and the Convention on Biological Diversity: A Compilation of Decision Text COP1- COP15 in English, Spanish and French. The publication will be availble to read later.
Second, it also launched the training module on Advancing Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the Implementation of the Kunming Montreal-Global Biodiversity Framework that was prepared in collaboration with WWF International.
To read more about the press conference, please go here.
