Financial Mechanism and Resources

Financial mainstreaming

Status and trends
International financial institutions are known to have some policy elements on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and 26 developed countries that are members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee have reported projects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Among 24 United Nations organizations, funds and programmes that have noticeable operational activities, only 6 entities are known to have biodiversity-specific operational activities and/or policy consideration.

The integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services is much more visible within multilateral and bilateral donor organizations, international financial institutions and development banks than within the operational system of the United Nations. The Chief Executives Board for Coordination of the United Nations has never devoted a specific theme on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and biodiversity only features visibly in a limited number of operational activities of the United Nations system. There are many good examples in bilateral donor organizations. USAID has published annual reports of Biodiversity Conservation Forestry Programs for a number of years by now.

The recent campaign on climate change has succeeded in introducing three features in most donor agencies: announcing an explicit policy statement on climate change mitigation and adaptation, establishing a visible operational institutional unit for climate change, and creating a pool of dedicated staff on climate change. Providing employment is key to mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services by donor agencies, and this is particularly helpful in an ear of heightened unemployment challenges. It is important that all donor agencies hire and retain more staff members on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and establish appropriate enabling working environments, including operational policy and unit on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Basis for action:
"To integrate considerations on biological diversity and its associated ecosystem services into the priorities, strategies and programmes of multilateral and bilateral donor organizations, including sectoral and regional priorities, taking into account the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness"...Strategy for resource mobilization, objective 5.1

"To integrate effectively the three objectives of the Convention into the United Nations development system, as well as international financial institutions and development banks"...Strategy for resource mobilization, objective 5.3

Indicator:
Number of international financing institutions, United Nations organizations, funds and programmes, and the development agencies that report to the Development Assistance Committee of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/DAC), with biodiversity and associated ecosystem services as a cross-cutting policy
Aggregated financial flows, in the amount and where relevant percentage, of biodiversity-related funding, per annum, for achieving the Convention’s three objectives, in international financial institutions
Aggregated financial flows, in the amount and where relevant percentage, of biodiversity-related funding, per annum, for achieving the Convention’s three objectives, in United Nations organizations, funds and programmes