Background and introduction

As of 9 October 2024, 82 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have uploaded their national targets and 20 Parties have uploaded their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to the CBD Online Reporting Tool (ORT)[1].  As most Parties continue to revise and update their targets and NBSAPs, the tools and methodologies developed to streamline this process are particularly important and are expected to play a key role in supporting reporting.

At the national level, the use of the ORT and supporting tools and methodologies, and the promotion of synergies and cooperation in knowledge management can accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (the Framework) and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) commitments.

In this side event, the CBD Secretariat, UNEP, UNEP-WCMC, UNDP and Women4Biodiversity will provide an update on the services and support provided, while national experts will share experiences, best practices, and lessons learned from the use of these tools for NBSAP alignment and explore potential avenues for reporting on the implementation of the Framework and other MEA commitments.

General objectives

The side-event aims to demonstrate how tools such as the Target Similarity Assessment - TSA (UNDP) and the Data Reporting Tool for MEAs - DaRT (UNEP) have helped Parties align their NBSAP targets with the Framework, Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)[2]. At the request of Parties, the TSA has provided policy summary reports to policymakers from over 50 countries, to assess the degree of similarity between each national biodiversity target and each global goal and target. DaRT training workshops have been conducted for CBD and MEA National Focal Points and experts from 19 countries.

Looking ahead, tools such as the Target Tracker and DaRT can also facilitate the preparation of the seventh and eighth national reports, which are due by 28 February 2026, and 30 June 2029 respectively[3]. The Target Tracker provides trends in headline indicators and nationally disaggregated data from global sources, to help Parties track progress towards the goals and targets of the Framework. These indicators from the Target Tracker are available in the online version of the draft seventh national report, in the ORT[4]. DaRT provides private national workspaces, to support collaboration, synergies, knowledge management and re-use of texts and information among National Focal Points and other stakeholders from the same country, to facilitate national reporting in ORT and

In addition, side event participants will learn how UNEP-WCMC and Women4Biodiversity have collaborated with Parties to the CBD with the co-development of the component indicator on the national implementation of the Gender Plan of Action. This indicator will support Parties to monitor and report on progress towards Target 23 and the implementation of the Gender Plan of Action.  

Specific objectives

• Provide an update on the status of NBSAP target submissions in the ORT and present how the UNDP Target Similarity Assessment Tool and the UNEP DaRT have supported this process in an integrated manner.
• Share experiences, lessons learned and challenges from Parties that have used these two tools to revise their NBSAP targets and discuss the next steps as they work towards submitting their NBSAPs.
• Provide an overview of the process of preparing the 7^th National Report and how the ORT provides a consolidated place to enter all data, emphasizing that the Target Tracker’s data will feed directly into the ORT template and that DaRT can support the coordination and knowledge management efforts undertaken to prepare the report, involving various contributing stakeholders.
• Present the indicator methodology and calculation tool developed to track progress towards Target 23 and the implementation of the Gender Plan of Action 
• Facilitate an open dialogue on national reporting challenges and identify additional support needs for integrated tools.

Indicative Agenda