Contributions to the
Sharm El-Sheikh to Kunming and Montreal Action Agenda for Nature and People can be on any scale and level, and come from all sectors and stakeholders.
Importantly, actions need to be scientifically sound and biodiversity relevant. Thus a commitment or action would serve to contribute to at least one of the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources). They may promote nature-based solutions, restore biodiversity health in some way, and ultimately inspires others to act.
Commitments can include large scale actions like restoring degraded ecosystems or setting aside protected areas to individual actions such as planting pollen and nectar plants. They could also contain targeted measures addressing direct or indirect causes of biodiversity loss, or the achievement of measurable conservation and sustainable use objectives.
The following points should be considered by non-state actors when submitting commitments:
• Commitments are voluntary. They should be scientifically sound and biodiversity relevant.
• Commitments should contribute to long-term sustainable development.
• Commitments should include actions that are tangible and measurable , and that contribute to the transformational changes needed to achieve progress in 2030 as well as the long term 2050 Vision of Living in Harmony with Nature. The existing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets could serve as a guide for action.
• Commitments could build upon existing cross sectoral initiatives, such as those to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the land degradation neutrality goal under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, among others.
• Actions to implement the commitments could depict ways and means to support the mainstreaming of biodiversity considerations across productive sectors addressed at COP13, COP14 and COP 15.
• Actions to implement the commitments could envisage how to include value chains in their ambition, whenever possible, as this is the most concrete way of scaling up success and fundamentally engaging small and medium companies in the long run.
• Actions to implement the commitments should clearly indicate how results will be reported, including baselines and metrics that will be used in the process.
