Egypt`s contribution towards the adoption and implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

 

Since CBD COP 14 in Sharm el Sheikh, November 2018, Egyptian delegation participated in all CBD bureau,  SBSTTA 23 and 24 meetings as well as all the four WG on GBF and many CBD intersessional activities, and also  many activities of African Biodiversity Negotiators (ABN) meetings particularly in Gabon during 1-4 September to prepare for the final round of WG on GBF and AMCEN Declaration in Accra on biodiversity and GBF. In addition, Egypt has participated in many activities of SPA/RAC/UNEP related to the preparation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Post 2020 GBF that was approved by Barcelona COP in November 2021    Political support focused on assisting parties to adopt the draft GBF. At the national level communications were made with relevant governmental agencies, NGOs and civil societies to consider implementations of CBD COP 14 decisions, and a special attention was given to mainstreaming of biodiversity in all developmental sectors.

 

In the framework of the MAVA and Small Grant Program of UNDP (SGP) partnership in the West Africa and the Mediterranean, SGP Egypt policy dialogues implemented three national policy dialogues and one regional policy dialogue in close coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment and were implemented under the auspices of H.E  Minister of Environment Dr. Yasmine Fouad. They were implemented during October-December 2021, and September 2022. The objectives of the policy dialogues are: developing the capacity of relevant stakeholders to outline concrete and necessary action, plans, and initiatives that can be financed on biodiversity restoration and confront the climate changes and its negative impacts on biodiversity.  Policy dialogues focused thematically on the implementation of CBD Strategic Plan (2022-2020) and the CBD Draft Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The main outcomes of these policy dialogues are:  A comprehensive report covering all issues discussed in both events to be widely disseminated among partners, stakeholders, and decision makers; A concept note for a side event at the CBD COP15 based on the outcomes of the first workshops’ results; 3-4 Concept Notes for projects on Biodiversity and Climate Change to be presented at UNFCCC COP27; and Some publications (handouts and leaflet) that include mapping of biodiversity hotspots, climate threats and possible sustainable and applicable solutions linked to national, regional and international strategies, programs and initiatives.

 

 

 

The first national dialogue was organized in Cairo on the 20^th of October, 2021, with the presence of 52 participants representing relevant ministries and authorities, academia, biodiversity experts and CSOs. Participants were better informed about the CBD and Aichi Targets, in addition to the National Strategy on Biodiversity. The 6^th National Report on Biodiversity submitted to the CBD and the National Environment Status Report were presented as well. Then, participants highlighted the achievements accomplished during the presidency of Egypt to the CBD since November 2018 till

present, and the role of CSOs in mainstreaming of biodiversity in different sectors.  This dialogue focused more in depth on the efforts done on the national level to mainstreaming of biodiversity into three main sectors; agriculture, infrastructure and mining. 

 

The second national dialogue was organized in Ein Sokhna on the 30^th & 31^st October, 2021, with the presence of 28 participants representing the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation Sector, relevant ministries, CSOs, GEF full Size Projects, UNDP -Italian Cooperation project and biodiversity experts. During the first session, the outcomes of the 1^st national dialogue has been presented, then mainstreaming biodiversity in education was fully discussed. Additionally, updates on legislations were highlighted. Then, focus on depth was on mainstreaming of biodiversity into three other sectors; tourism, electricity and industry. Challenges and available opportunities were also discussed in details.

 

On the 4th & 5th December, 2021 the regional dialogue was organized in the hybrid format in which 39 participants have actively participated. The dialogue included valuable contributions from reputable regional organizations such Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), League of Arab States (LAS), IUCN-MED – IUCN/ROWA, MAVA Foundation, GEF/SGP CPMT,  UNEP - SPA / RAC & Yolda Initiative and the Alliance for Mediterranean Nature & Culture (AMNC). Participants were given 18 lectures, organized in the following 7 themes:

1. Overview on Achievements, Current Challenges & Opportunities of Natural Resources Conservation on the Regional and Global levels (5 presentations on the status of Mediterranean marine and coastal biodiversity conservation, the work program of IUCN Med.: IUCN-ROWA with  main slogan for Nature 2030, Mediterranean Sea values and their contribution to the blue economy, Biodiversity: Opportunities and Challenges in Arab countries, and GEF Small Grants Program);  

 

2. Impacts of COVID-19 and Green Recovery Strategies (2 presentations on One Health Approach in the Mediterranean countries, and guidance on integrating biodiversity considerations into One Health Approach including green recovery);

 

3. Overview on Achievements, Current Challenges & Opportunities ( SWAT analysis) based on successful policies, programs and projects related to biodiversity conservation in the Mediterranean countries, root causes of biodiversity loss, limited financial and technical resources, mainstreaming of biodiversity into development sectors, cooperation and coordination among governmental agencies and private sector, biodiversity monitoring and data availability, and partnerships at all levels

 

4. Regional and Global Strategies on Biodiversity such MAVA Strategy 2016-2022 - Mediterranean Basin Programme; The Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Region; cultural landscape in the Mediterranean, and CBD strategy (2011-2020).

 

 

 

5. Cross-cutting issues:  topics included  the current status of SDGs in the Mediterranean countries, African Agenda and the draft post 2020 GBF, Key messages of IPBES assessment of biodiversity, green renaissance , ecosystem restoration; Climate Change Impacts on tourism in the Mediterranean region; Mapping of Biodiversity, spatial planning,marine  and integrated coastal zone management  ;

 

6. Marine/coastal issues: links to Barcelona Convention and MEDPAN Forum; and

 

7. Recommendations and preparations for CBD COP 15.2 and Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

 

All lectures presented were discussed and  it was concluded that  the regional policy dialogue on Post 2020 GBF was extremely relevant to its objectives, considering the current initiatives, projects, action plans and strategies being implemented in the Mediterranean countries, with technical and financial supports of MAVA, UNEP MAP, Med PAN and other partners. The main outcomes are: better understanding of all issues related to the GBF and its 21 Targets; Agreement on Arabic vision and position regarding the draft GBF; all issues presented and raised by participants during the policy dialogue should be used during the negotiation for the adoption and implementation of the GBF.

 

Specific recommendations included the followings:

 

 1-The importance of coordination and cooperation at the level of Arab countries to maximize the use of available funding at regional level from donor countries and agencies such as GEF, Green Climate Fund, and prepare regional projects including Arab countries, and should not focus only on national projects and national funding.  This will initiate the presence of the following: Accessibility and sharing of information; Availability of national and regional capacities; Good coordination; scientific research planning; and above all the support of political will.

 

2-The Arab League is to mainstream, synergize and coordinate all efforts at the regional level to facilitate the proposed projects to donors and with coordination with international agencies working at the Mediterranean Sea such as Blue Plan, UNEP, IUCN, SPA/RAC and others.  These proposed projects should include components of capacity in the Arab countries, mechanisms for data collection, availability and sharing of information, support systems for follow up and monitoring of ecosystems in the Mediterranean and other ecosystems.

 

3-The necessity of Arab Countries to support the good representatives for each country through the biodiversity expert groups, and negotiators at the international conventions meetings, and participation in the contact groups of these meetings, and follow up with all issues addressed in the meetings as most of Arab countries suffer from limited number of participants, and cannot cover all issues addressed in the international meetings.

 

4-The necessity of Arabic coordination during these meetings of international conventions, and ensure similar coordination elsewhere such as UN Convention on Climate Change.

 

5-The Egyptian Initiative on RIO Conventions, declared by HE President of Egypt Mr. Abdelfattah El Sisi during the Presidency of CBD COP 14 from 2018 to 2021, is to follow up with the Arab League, with the support of its General Secretary, Ambassador Ahmed Abu El Ghait.

 

6-Arab countries are to speed up the process of updating their biodiversity national and action plans (NBSAPs), in accordance with the proposed Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

 

7-The necessity of considering the Mediterranean Sea as hotspots for biodiversity, and Arab league to form a pressure group on the importance of obtaining the southern countries the same available support as the northern Mediterranean countries.

 

8-Regional focus on some specific emerging issues is considered as priorities, taking into and consideration of the national priorities for each Arab country.

 

9-Mainstreaming of biodiversity into all development sectors, taking into consideration that mainstreaming is implemented not only through strategies but also through national action plans, based on the reality in each country.

 

10- Adoption of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and coordination with the regional organizations that implement the NBS approach.

 

11-More work is needed in each country on the endangered and threatened species, based on IUCN Red List, as most of the current assessments are considered superficial and not complete.  This will require priorities and conservation action plans for the protection of species, and ecosystems, as well as proper ecosystem restoration,

 

12- Monitoring of and follow up with alien invasive species at regional level; and finally

 

13- The development of a regional cooperation framework on ‘advancing the biodiversity economy that enhances the value of biological goods and services, integrates natural capital accounting and scales up investment in the sustainable utilization of biological resources as part of transformative change.

 

 

The third national policy dialogue was held in Fayoum, 14-15 September, attended by 33 participants, to discuss progress made on the adoption and implementation of GBF. Presentations included the following themes: Preparation for CBD COP 15.2, Implementation of GBF, mainstreaming of biodiversity into developmental sectors, case studies and successful stories, marine litter, climate change and biodiversity, new trends in genetic engineering, and recommendations.   A total of 20 lectures were presented covering the following  (phase I, topics: Conclusions and recommendations of policy dialogue! status of the current GBF, SBSTTA23 and 24, and SPI3; Achievements of NBSAP implementation; Sustainable use of wild species; Restorations and management of ecosystem services of Burrlus Lake; New trends on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in Egypt; Sustainable benthic fisheries; Ecosystem assessment and Nature based solutions; Spatial planning; Rio Conventions (National Desertification Strategy in Egypt); National report on sustainable development goals in Egypt; Oil and gas activities in the Mediterranean Sea; One health approach;  Challenges facing biodiversity mainstreaming on the national level and possible ways forward; Closing biodiversity funding gap; Red Sea challenges and opportunities; Soaring birds and energy; Galala Observatory for raptors in Egypt; New trends in genetic engineering; Monitoring and management of plastic and marine litter in coastal areas of the Egyptian Mediterranean Sea. In addition, many statements by NGOs were presented on various issues related to the preparation of CBD COP 15.2, and Climate Change COP 27.

 

Participants discussed all issues related to the GBF and agreed with the outcomes of Gabon messages regarding CBD COP 15.2 and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and AMCEN declaration in Accra in 15-16 September 2022.  The followings are the main conclusions and recommendations

1. Biodiversity and nature’s contributions in Egypt are economically, socially and culturally important assets, essential in providing the food, water, energy, health and livelihoods, and assuring the foundation for sustainable development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, the integration of Sustainable Development Goals into the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is crucial to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity that are necessary to secure human well-being and development outcomes in Egypt,
2. However, the world is in a state of planetary emergency – the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change require urgent and unified global action to prevent significant damage to national and global economic, social and political stability,
3. Already, Egypt faces unprecedented pressure from extreme weather events, desertification, land degradation and deforestation that threaten the health and well-being of millions of people,
4. At the same time, Egypt stands at the forefront of the global conservation movement, safeguarding incomparable biodiversity and natural capital, and has a lot to lose if we do not take strong measures now to safeguard our biodiversity resources,
5.  We are of the view that a holistic approach to the conservation and sustainable management of all land and water using participatory ecosystem-based approaches is crucial to ensure conservation, restoration, coherence and sustainable use of biodiversity for the benefit of all towards an ecologically, socially and economically just and sustainable world by 2050,
6. We reaffirm the importance of means of implementation as an integral part of the GBF and stress the need for adequate provision of financial resources, access to technology and capacity building, including the establishment of a dedicated biodiversity fund to support effective implementation of the GBF.

 

Specific recommendation regarding GBF

       1.Target 1 of GBF that deals with spatial planning of biodiversity conservation requires consideration by the government to include spatial planning in the national development plan, and provides financial resources to scale-up the successful examples in Egypt,

        2.The ecosystem restoration is very important to Egypt and support an ambitious target for restoration that addresses all ecosystem types and species conservation. Egypt shall work to raise the inclusion and profile of restoration in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework taking existing restoration strategies and initiatives into account in adopting the target, mainstreaming land and ecosystem restoration in relevant sectoral policies, plans, programmes and actions, including, and communicating the results and benefits to people in the spirit of leaving no one behind,

3. Considerable achievements were made in the protected areas, and therefore the participants support an ambitious protected area target of 30% of the area of all ecosystems (terrestrial, marine, coastal, inland waters) by 2030. We hope the government of Egypt will soon declare the fringing reefs of the Red Sea as a national park, similar to the Great Barrier Reefs of Australia;

4. The climate change and desertification are serious threats to biodiversity and therefore commit to take the measures necessary to strengthen biodiversity resilience to climate change, desertification and land degradation through ecosystem-based approaches or nature-based solutions in line with United Nations Environment Assembly definition,

5. We reaffirm that utilization of Egypt’s natural assets, including genetic and biological resources and related digital sequence information and traditional knowledge, must result in sufficient sharing of monetary and non-monetary benefits to make sustainable use of biodiversity more attractive than unsustainable extraction, ensuring good conservation outcomes, and therefore the Post-2020 GBF must contain a solution for sharing the benefits arising from utilisation of digital sequence information, which also can be one way to contribute to long-term resource mobilization,

6.  Mainstreaming is an essential tool for unlocking the necessary scale of investment in biodiversity in Egypt, therefore we need to increase our collective focus on mainstreaming and enhance the capacity available for making the case for biodiversity. The implementation of the GBF, and the 2030 Agenda require transformative actions and decisions to mainstream and integrate biodiversity in our development processes and economic paradigms, taking into account our national circumstances and priorities;

7.The importance of integrating biodiversity into economic development sectors is crucial for the mobilization of financial resources and the implementation of activities for the restoration, protection and conservation of biological diversity;

8. The  capacity building and development is necessary to achieve the goals of the Convention and facilitate the implementation of the GBF, thus call on COP 15.2 to adopt alongside the GBF a capacity building strategy and an action plan taking into account the needs of developing countries, the important role of women, girls and youth and the interests of local communities.  Scientific cooperation and technology transfer are fundamental to the effective implementation of the CBD and GBF, but that efforts in this regard have so far been inadequate, and to call for renewed and enhanced efforts in this regard, including through the designation or establishment of global and regional Canters of Excellence,

     8. It is crucial to have a balance in the GBF by closing the current gap in financing biodiversity through the provision of new and additional resources from developed countries to developing countries dedicated to biodiversity in compliance with the obligations of article 20 of the Convention. This will require the responsibility to act to help close the financial gap as stated in Article 20 of the Convention through the mobilization of 1% GDP taking into account the dispositions of article 20.2 and for developed countries to support developing countries to ensure implementation of the goals and targets of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Although there is a  recent increase of funding for biodiversity by GEF 8 replenishment, however,  the  allocated amount is highly insufficient  in contribution to  closing the current financing gap and thus call for a complete structural and procedural transformation of GEF to diversify its sources and increase the robustness and efficiency of the GEF and other multilateral and bilateral financial mechanisms to support developing countries for the effective implementation of the GBF,

9.We also recognize that the realization of the new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework depends on actions taken on the ground, and will require strong National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) and coordinated National Biodiversity Finance Plans (NBFP) or similar mechanisms to plan and implement national actions for managing and supporting biodiversity.

 

10.We welcome the inclusion of a specific biosafety target under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and further acknowledge the relevance of the Protocol on Biosafety and its implementation plan and capacity-building action plan to the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity,

        11.The important role of technology development and transfer  is crucial to support   implementation of the GBF and urge that it includes updating technology needs assessments, provision of support for the implementation of the outcomes of technology need assessments, identification of technologies that are ready for transfer and enhancement of enabling environments to address barriers and meet the specific needs and concerns of  Egypt;

         12.There is a need of integrating DSI in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to fit its purpose, considering the use of DSI as utilization of genetic and biological resources, and that DSI benefit-sharing under the global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism of the Convention will contribute to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and long-term biodiversity resource mobilisation;

        13.The participants recognized the important role of stakeholders in this process and call on civil societies, NGOs, private sector, media and all other stakeholders to effectively participate for an inclusive process in developing the post 2020 GBF, and to further provide support in widely communicating the common position of Egypt and promoting awareness on the future agreement, to secure the engagement of all in support of Egypt’s efforts in the implementation of the GBF including at community levels,

 

The fourth National Policy dialogue is planned in mid October for the preparation of Climate Change COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022, and it will focus on the impact of climate change on biodiversity. Outcomes of the fourth national policy dialogue will be presented as side events at both Climate Change COP 27 and CBD COP 15.2.