Notification 2025-109

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to recall the 2025 milestones in Targets 18 and 19 (a) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as highlighted below:

Target 18: Identify by 2025, and eliminate, phase out or reform incentives, including subsidies, harmful for biodiversity, in a proportionate, just, fair, effective and equitable way, while substantially and progressively reducing them by at least 500 billion United States dollars per year by 2030, starting with the most harmful incentives, and scale up positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Target 19(a): Increasing total biodiversity related international financial resources from developed countries, including official development assistance, and from countries that voluntarily assume obligations of developed country Parties, to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, to at least US$ 20 billion per year by 2025, and to at least US$ 30 billion per year by 2030.

In case not yet done so, I wish to invite Parties to consider including these milestones, as appropriate, in their national targets and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, and to take concrete implementation action. 

In light of the particular conceptual and analytical challenges in identifying incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity, I also wish to draw your attention to several recent guidance documents, provided in the Annex, which may be helpful in taking effective action on this element of Target 18.

I also wish to note that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) of the United Nations Development Programme provide support to eligible countries in implementing this element of Target 18. Countries receive technical assistance to identify which incentives may be at risk to harm biodiversity and create alternative designs with less harmful impacts and more positive outcomes for biodiversity, climate and people.

You may wish to report on your country’s progress in implementing these milestones through the seventh national report, which is due by 28 February 2026. In this connection, please note that the GEF also provides support for national reporting, including technical assistance for entering the information in the online reporting tool for national reporting, accessible under https://ort.cbd.int/#0.4/0/0 . 

I look forward to learning about the implementation progress through the seventh national reports. 

Please accept, Sir, Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.

(Signed) Astrid Schomaker

Executive Secretary

Enclosure:

Annex

IISD (2025): Reforming Environmentally Harmful Subsidies. A playbook. International Institute for Sustainable Development and Porticus. 

https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/environmentally-harmful-subsidies-reform.pdf

OECD (2022): Identifying and assessing subsidies and other incentives harmful to biodiversity: A comparative review of existing national-level assessments and insights for good practice. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/identifying-and-assessing-subsidies-and-other-incentives-harmful-to-biodiversity_3e9118d3-en.html

UNDP BIOFIN (2024): The Nature of Subsidies. A step-by-step guide to repurpose subsidies harmful to biodiversity and improve their impacts on people and nature. Biodiversity Finance Initiative, United Nations Development Programme. 

https://www.biofin.org/sites/default/files/content/knowledge_products/The%20Nature%20of%20Subsidies%20%28Web%29.pdf