To stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter.
Roadmap to COP 15: Timeline of key milestones
Due to the novel COVID-19 pandemic, many key events on the local and subnational Roadmap to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are continuously modifying their dates and methods of delivery. An updated timeline, with the most recent event dates and details can be seen below:
Key Updates
The Edinburgh Process: An Update on the Edinburgh Declaration
The Edinburgh Declaration for subnational governments, cities and local authorities on the Post-2020 global biodiversity framework, is available to access and is open for signature by subnational and local governments and networks, supportive organizations and supportive national governments up to COP 15. The Declaration sets out the aspirations and commitments of the Scottish Government, Edinburgh Process partners, and the wider subnational constituency of the Convention on Biological Diversity, in delivering for nature over the coming decade.
Cities such as Quintana Roo (Mexico), Jinja District Local Government (Uganda), City of Berlin (Germany) are leading the way by signing the Declaration. Various state/provincial governments such as Cross River State (Nigeria), Jalisco State Government (Mexico), the Government of Catalonia (Spain), and Burgundy Regional Council Franche County (France), have also signed the Declaration.
Read and sign the Declaration here
For more information, email ingrid.coetzee@iclei.org
Local Climate Solutions for Africa (LoCS4Africa) 2020 Congress
Resource mobilization, access to finance and increased investment in nature-based solutions are key issues in the negotiations towards the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The conversation on finance for nature within an African context formed part of ICLEI Africa’s LoCS4Africa 2020 virtual congress in November 2020. LoCS4Africa was organized in partnership with The Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa and others, and co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda, the City of Kigali and the Rwandan Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA).
An impressive line-up of speakers, including Dr. Rene Castro-Salazar, Assistant Director-General, FAO; and Mr. Amjad Abbashar, Chief, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Africa, participated in the finance for nature sessions.
Daring Cities High-Level event
Daring Cities 2020, hosted by ICLEI and the City of Bonn took place over the month of October 2020, and offered an exciting array of high-level and visionary sessions, most notably a very successful high-level session titled ‘Towards Adopting a Renewed Decision on Local and Subnational Governments at the Biodiversity COP’. The high-level session was co- chaired by Honorable Cheryl Jones Fur, Deputy Lord Mayor of Växjö Municipal Council, Sweden, and Mr Basille van Havre, Co-chair of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Mr Zhang Xinsheng, President of IUCN, delivered a short address on the role that nature can play in the green recovery and redesign of cities in the post COVID 19 setting. Messages of support were delivered by the following high-ranking representatives from local and subnational governments and their networks:
- Mr Keith Connal, Deputy Director for the Natural Resources Division, Scottish Government
- Mr Henri-Paul Normandin, Director of International Relations, City of Montreal on behalf of Mayor Valérie Plante, Montreal, Canada
- Mr Roby Biwer, Member of the ENVE Commission at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) & Member of Bettembourg Municipal Council, Luxembourg
- Mr Sergio Graf, Vice President of Regions4 for America and Secretary for the Environment and Territorial Development of Jalisco, Mexico
- His Excellency Hideaki Ōmura, Governor of Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Watch the High-level session recording
Green City Accord for European cities
The Green City Accord was launched on 22 October 2020 during the European Week of Regions and Cities. The Green Accord is a movement by European mayors, open to any city located in the European Union, which aims to improve European cities by making them cleaner and healthier. Several EU funding programs and financing instruments are available to support cities in developing and implementing environmental actions under the Accord. By signing and approving the Accord, cities commit to addressing five goals by 2030 dealing with air quality, water quality and use, urban biodiversity, the circular economy and noise pollution.
IUCN and partners launch Nature+ Accelerator Fund
On 4 November 2020, IUCN announced the launch of Nature+ Accelerator Fund, a first-of-its-kind private sector-focused nature conservation accelerator fund providing measurable conservation and social benefits while delivering financial returns for investors.
IPBES Workshop Report on Biodiversity and Pandemics
On 29 October 2020, The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released this report which addresses the links between the degradation of nature and increasing pandemic risks, quantifying the economic costs of pandemics as well as the costs of preventing future pandemics, and offers evidence-informed policy options for governments and decision-makers to escape the era of pandemics.
Opportunities to get involved
Revised dates for 2020 and 2021 events
A briefing webinar on agenda item 5 of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation for Asia and the Pacific, will be held on 10 – 11 December 2020.
A briefing webinar on agenda item 5 of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation for the Americas, Europe, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East, will be held on 10 December 2020.
A special virtual session for SBSTTA and SBI on the theme of “Biodiversity, One Health and the response to COVID-19”, will be held on 15 – 16 December 2020.
Save the Date: Register for our next webinar
ICLEI continues to host its monthly Post-2020 webinar series to keep our constituency of cities and regions up to date on the unfolding participatory process on the roadmap to CBD COP 15.
Register for Webinar 19 of the Post-2020 series on 3 December
Visit the dedicated website to stay updated on the local and subnational advocacy for nature agenda and to get involved. In case you have missed the previous webinars in the series, the recordings are available on our YouTube Channel. To read more about our previous webinar in the series, Update on recent and forthcoming events, click here.
CitiesWithNature
Visit our Updates page to read more about what our growing network of174 cities and regions are doing to enhance the value of nature in and around our urban areas. Click here to see the latest CitiesWithNature Buzz.
To join CitiesWithNature, connect with the growing network of cities and regions who are taking action for nature, and experience this innovative platform, click here.
Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest CitiesWithNature news.
COVID-19
ICLEI is collecting resources that can be useful and inspiring for local and subnational governments. Click here to see the dedicated webpage, and click here to access a collection of relevant blog posts.
The generous support from the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU Support project, the INTERACT-Bio project, and CitiesWithNature partners and cities, has contributed to this email update.
Please note that the November email update will be the last installment of updates for 2020. The email updates will resume in January/February 2021. This year has been a fantastic year for biodiversity, and we look forward to an even more eventful year in 2021 as we keep the momentum going in the lead up towards COP 15. Wishing all our readers a healthy and happy festive season.
Disclaimer: If you would prefer not to receive these updates in future, please let us know.
To stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter.