Time is running out for the global community to create the transformative change needed to address our planetary crises. The implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is of vital importance to global community. . To that end, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the CBD Secretariat, and with generous funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), are implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework Earl Action Support (GBF-EAS) Project.

The main objective of the GBF-EAS is to fast-track readiness and early actions to implement the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by providing financial and technical support to 139 countries in their work to align their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Global Biodiversity Framework of the CBD.

CBD Parties will be mobilized to take early action on the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) with a focus on four components: 1) Rapid review of NBSAP for alignment with the post-2020 GBF; 2) assessment of monitoring systems; 3) policy and institutional alignment and review of policies for coherence with the GBF; and 4) biodiversity finance activities. Financial and technical support is being provided through country grants from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to eligible Parties and a GEF-funded globally coordinated technical support service that is being executed through UNDP and UNEP.

Representatives from participating countries are invited to a global inception workshop. UNDP and UNEP will introduce the GBF-EAS Project and the associated tools and guidelines. The supporting agencies will provide an overview of the Project’s components, as well as timeline and implementation modality.  The event will highlight how in the final months of GEF-7, GEF responded to a CBD priority and set the stage for accelerating implementation of the GBF once agreed.

Time will be allocated for Q&A, with the possibility to communicate in English, French and Spanish. Through interactive presentations and dynamic discussions, this side event will inform and foster collaboration among the participating countries, providing the foundation needed to successfully take early action on the GBF.

The event is highly aligned with the COP 15 objectives and will be complemented by a Help Desk throughout the duration of the conference.