Capacity Building

The term capacity-building is defined by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) as the process whereby people, organisations and society as a whole unleash, strengthen, create, adapt and maintain the ability to manage their affairs over time. Any intervention or activity purposely designed to contribute to the development or strengthening of the capabilities of people, institutions and systems is considered to be capacity-building.

Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, have identified capacity-building as a priority for the effective implementation of these three instruments, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The Secretariat has adopted a strategic, integrated and results-oriented approach to capacity-building in accordance with decision XIII/23, adopted in December 2016 at the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) in Cancun, Mexico. This approach recognizes that tools and methodologies for delivering capacity-building vary according to the needs and contexts of the target audience, and that the involvement of partner organizations and stakeholders is crucial to the success of any capacity-building interventions.

The CBD Secretariat focuses on coordinating and facilitating capacity-building support to Parties for the effective implementation of the Convention and its Protocols, in accordance with relevant COP and COP-MOP decisions.

Short-Term Action Plan to Enhance and Support Capacity-Building

The Conference of the Parties, through its decision XIII/23, recognizing the need for an integrated and coherent approach to capacity-building, adopted a Short-Term Action Plan (2017-2020) to Enhance and Support Capacity-Building for the Implementation of the Convention and its Protocols.

A progress report on the implementation of the Short-Term Action Plan (2017-2020) was prepared and considered by the Conference of the Parties at its fourteenth meeting (COP 14) in November 2018.