Given the successes we have achieved over the last decade, and the increasing recognition of the critical role of the local and subnational government constituency, the goal of ICLEI’s advocacy is to ensure that the voice of local and subnational governments is heard and reflected in the consultations, negotiations and outcomes regarding the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, in the lead up to, during and after COP 15 in Kunming in 2021.
What are we doing and why?
Read more
ICLEI aims to mobilize the constituency and influence COP Decisions through its advocacy work that is more ambitious than ever before.
The Roadmap to COP 15 has been co-developed to support the local and subnational constituency’s participation in, and contributions to, the development process of the Post-2020 GBF. The implementation of this roadmap is currently underway and involves a series of advocacy interventions and key processes where local and subnational governments are mobilized at key milestones to support the development of a strong consolidated and collective position statement ahead of COP 15. In this position statement, the constituency is calling for a stepped-up, dedicated Decision by the Parties on local and subnational governments that is more ambitious than before, and that safeguards the legacy of Decision X/22 and expands the momentum of local and subnational advocacy beyond 2020.
Mobilizing the local and subnational government constituency
The vision of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a world where we “Live in Harmony with Nature” by 2050. If we have any chance of achieving this global ambition, local and subnational governments are central roleplayers, since it is in cities where the majority of humanity already live and where most actions to restore ecosystems, implement nature-based solutions and raise awareness will be taken. Action at the local level to protect, enhance and restore the ecosystems that sustain our social, economic and environmental systems, is urgently needed. Mobilizing the local and subnational government constituency to take action for nature and collectively contribute to achieving the global ambition is more important now, and in the coming decade, than ever before.
Read more
One of the ways mobilization of local and subnational governments is being facilitated is through CitiesWithNature, a local and subnational engagement platform co-founded by ICLEI, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). CitiesWithNature is a shared online platform for all cities, regions and other subnational governments to connect and engage in mainstreaming nature into cities and regions in ways that benefit both people and nature. It serves as the ‘one stop shop’ for all levels of subnational governments to share and report on their actions in contributing to achieving the global biodiversity agenda. CitiesWithNature has formally been endorsed by the SCBD as the official mechanism through which local and subnational governments will share their ambitions, commitments and actions, and will in turn connect, share, learn and inspire each other.
In order for local and subnational governments to realize collective action for global impact, the time to unite and mobilize is now. On the Roadmap to COP 15, it is critical that the constituency demonstrates the actions they are already taking and boldly commit to raise their ambition going forward. Below is the call to action to mobilize the local and subnational government constituency in the lead up to, at, and after COP 15:
- COMMIT to taking ambitious action and set local and subnational targets that are aligned to the Post-2020 GBF
- JOIN networks like CitiesWithNature that will support and enable this action
- PARTICIPATE in key roadmap events and the Post-2020 process to make your voice heard and to contribute to the development of the constituency’s emerging position
- COLLABORATE with all levels of government and other actors
- CALL ON CBD Parties to endorse the consolidated position statement and support the adoption of a stepped-up, dedicated Decision that enables active participation by local and subnational governments
- ENGAGE with your communities about the benefits of living in CitiesWithNature
The Roadmap to COP 15 is arguably the most critical time in the history of the CBD to mobilize local and subnational governments for biodiversity. No action is too small and every actor in the constituency has a crucial role to play. It is the coordination of this action, through mobilization of a critical mass of local and subnational governments, that has the potential to reverse the current trajectory and set us on a course towards a more sustainable urban future where both humans and nature thrive. The voice of local and subnational governments is growing ever louder, as the constituency stands united, ready to take up their role in contributing to the most ambitious global biodiversity agenda ever adopted. Below is the Roadmap of key milestones in the lead up to COP 15:
