This side event, organized within the Target 3 Community of Practice and led by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, will focus on strengthening the Community of Practice as an implementation platform. It will bring together partners to exchange on concrete tools, structures, and engagement modalities that can improve coordination, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support delivery of Target 3 on the ground.

Implementing Target 3 requires coordinated action across local, national, regional, and global levels. Despite progress, key challenges remain: translating global commitments into national and subnational pathways; ensuring equitable governance and rights-based approaches; strengthening ecological connectivity and representativeness; aligning monitoring and reporting systems; and bridging policy, science, and practice.

Through the Community of Practice, the session will convene key partner organizations to share experiences, identify capacity needs, and discuss practical ways to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange across scales.

The session will produce actionable recommendations to reinforce the Community of Practice as a platform that supports implementation, improves coordination across actors, and accelerates progress toward Target 3 on the ground.