Decision COP 15/11

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling decisions XII/7 and IX/24, welcoming earlier versions of a gender plan of action for the Convention,

Recognizing the importance of advancing efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s and girl’s empowerment to ensure the effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,

Recognizing also that the full and effective participation and leadership of women in all aspects of Convention processes, particularly in policy and action at national and local levels, is vital for achieving long-term biodiversity goals and the 2050 Vision of living in harmony with nature,

1. Adopts the Gender Plan of Action contained in the annex to the present decision;

2. Urges Parties, and invites other Governments, subnational governments, cities and other local authorities, and relevant organizations to implement the Gender Plan of Action to support and advance gender mainstreaming and gender responsive implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;

3. Invites relevant organizations of the United Nations family and other international organizations and initiatives to support coherent gender responsive implementation of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, through identifying synergies and drawing on relevant experience from related processes;

4. Urges Parties and invites where appropriate, relevant organizations to incorporate the Gender Plan of Action in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and to include gender specific indicators in the development of national indicators, collecting data disaggregated by sex, age and other demographic factors and gender indicators, where possible;

5. Invites Parties to implement the Gender Plan of Action in synergy with gender plans or strategies developed under other relevant multilateral environmental agreements or related multilateral processes, as appropriate;

6. Encourages Parties to submit information on efforts and steps taken to implement the Gender Plan of Action in their national reporting, including sex-disaggregated data;

7. Also encourages Parties to appoint and provide support for a national gender and biodiversity focal point for biodiversity negotiations, implementation and monitoring;

8. Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with Parties, indigenous peoples and local communities, women’s and youth organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, to facilitate outreach and capacity building and development activities with a view to exchanging experiences, good practices, and lessons learned, to support the implementation of the Gender Plan of Action;

9. Also requests the Executive Secretary, based inter alia on the information received pursuant to paragraph 6 above and with the support of relevant partners, to undertake a mid-term review of implementation of the Gender Plan of Action, identifying progress, lessons learned, and further work to be undertaken for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Implementation at its fifth meeting;

10. Invites the Global Environment Facility and relevant bilateral and multilateral funding organizations to provide technical and financial support, as well as capacity building and development, for implementation of the Gender Plan of Action;

11. Encourages Parties to increase representation of women in their delegations to meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with a view to achieving gender equality, including through requests for support for participation through the Special Voluntary Trust Fund (BZ), where applicable;

12. Invites Parties, and relevant public and private entities, to increase the gender responsiveness of biodiversity capacity-building and development, technical and scientific cooperation and technology transfer, provision of financial resources, and other means of implementation, with the aim of strengthening the support for the full and effective participation of women and girls.