Statement by Regions4
SBI-3 Informal Session, 11 March 2021
Agenda item 11 – Mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors and other strategic actions to enhance implementation
Honourable Chairs, Co-chairs and distinguished delegates,
I am taking the floor on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments and Biodiversity, coordinated by Regions4 and the Government of Québec, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the Group of Leading Subnational Governments toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the European Committee of the Regions, and on behalf of the Edinburgh Process Partners.
We would like to support the United Kingdom’s earlier statement and reinforce the importance of the messages included in the Edinburgh Declaration, outlined in document CBD/SBI/3/INF/25, and the outcomes of the Edinburgh Process, including the upcoming full report on the consultation. As of today, 115 subnational and local governments across the globe have signed the Declaration, subnational and local governments committed to play their part in mainstreaming biodiversity in their territories in close alignment with you, the Parties to the Convention.
Additionally, we would like to invite you to consult the information documents we have submitted under agenda item 11 to see the on-the-ground experience, good practices and recommendations we submitted for your consideration.
To have a better understanding of the efforts subnational governments undertake to integrate biodiversity considerations into different sectors, we invite you to visit SBI-3 Information Document 10, “Mainstreaming Biodiversity: The Subnational Government Experience”, submitted by the Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments, coordinated by Regions4 and the Government of Quebec.
To learn more of the experiences of subnational governments in “Vertical Integration” we invite you to consult the upcoming report to be submitted as an Information Document by the Group of Leading Subnational Governments toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, to agenda item 11 of SBI-3.
We also bring your attention to the Policy Brief on Realising the Urban Opportunity: Cities and post-2020 biodiversity governance, released by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, which will be submitted as an Information Document to agenda item 11 of SBI-3 in support of the Edinburgh Declaration.
Finally, we encourage you to capitalise on the outcomes of the Edinburgh Process and on the information documents we, subnational and local governments, have submitted and will submit for your consideration.
Thank you for your attention.