Background

Biodiversity mainstreaming has long been a core priority under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which is one of the defining challenges for successful implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (hereinafter referred to as the GBF).

Recognizing this challenge, Decision CBD/COP/DEC/16/13 adopted at CBD COP16 urges all Parties to advance biodiversity mainstreaming in line with the GBF to deliver the three objectives of the Convention, in particular to enable mainstreaming at all levels of government and society. It further encourages Parties to promote and support private and financial sectors to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention in accordance with national circumstances and development priorities.

This policy direction is reinforced by the report of Methodological Assessment of the Impact and Dependence of Business on Biodiversity and Nature’s Contributions to People released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The assessment confirms that all business sectors rely on and generate impacts on biodiversity. The assessment identified creating an enabling environment as the critical condition for accelerating transformative change by businesses. It highlights five mutually reinforcing pillars of an enabling environment, including Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, Economic and financial systems, Societal values, norms and culture, Technology and data infrastructure, and Capacity and knowledge systems.

Around the world, governments, business platforms, financial initiatives and conservation organizations have developed innovative policies, practical tools, market mechanisms and collaborative partnerships that contribute to the five pillars.

China is currently advancing legislation, policy, financial, technological and capacity-building measures that provide useful experiences for operationalizing biodiversity mainstreaming that may inform other national contexts.

As the national focal point of the Global Partnership for Business and Biodiversity (GPBB),the China Partnership for Business and Biodiversity (CPBB), coordinated by the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China，has worked closely with international organizations, research institutions and businesses to promote biodiversity mainstreaming across multiple sectors. Building on the successful collaboration established during CBD COP15 and COP16, this side event provides an opportunity to bring together Chinese and international experiences, explore common implementation challenges, and identify practical solutions for advancing implementation of the GBF.

Objectives

Responding to Decision CBD/COP/DEC/16/13, aligned with the five pillars and core recommendations of the IPBES business-biodiversity assessment, this side event aims to:

• Present practical measures for implementing GBF Targets 14 and 15 through enabling policy, finance, approaches, and capacity systems;
• Share China’s biodiversity mainstreaming experience under the Beautiful China and 15th Five-Year Plan framework;
• Comparing approaches developed by international organizations;
•  Identify transferable actions that Parties, business platforms, and financial institutions can apply in national implementation of GBF.

Proposed speakers

Session 1: Enabling policy, finance, technology, approaches

• The role of GPBB for building enabling-environment by SCBD
• .Corporate Priority Actions on Biodiversity Driven by the Ecological Environment Code and the 15th Five-Year Plan for Beautiful China by FECO of MEE
•  Progress of the Partnership of Biodiversity and Finance (PBF) by WRI
• Global Exploration and Practice of OECMs by TNC

Session.2: Sector implementation cases

• Green Mineral Development Practices to Safeguard Biodiversity Across Value Chains
• FSC’s contribution to mitigate biodiversity loss: practices in China and other Asia-pacific areas
• Innovative property & casualty insurance products for biodiversity conservation in China
• Operational experience of OECMs in China’s Petrochemical Sector

Moderated dialogue

What enabling conditions are most critical for accelerating biodiversity mainstreaming before COP18?