Summary of the event:

This side event, co-led by the Observatory of the Sahara and the Sahel (OSS) and the Humboldt Institute as recognized Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centres under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, will showcase how regional technical cooperation can help Parties move from reporting obligations to concrete implementation.

Drawing on country experiences from Tunisia, Libya and Colombia, and with the contribution of the UN Biodiversity Lab, the event will demonstrate how TSCC support, national governance processes and digital decision-support tools can jointly strengthen implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, the Cartagena Protocol and the KM-GBF.

The event will present reporting not as an end in itself, but as a strategic entry point to identify gaps, strengthen institutional coordination, generate evidence, guide decision-making and mobilize support for biodiversity action.

Description of the event:

As Parties move from the revision of their NBSAPs to implementation, many countries continue to face common challenges in translating global biodiversity commitments into operational national systems. These challenges are particularly visible in areas such as access and benefit-sharing, biosafety, biodiversity data management and national reporting, where legal, institutional, technical and financial capacities are essential for effective implementation.

Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centres, established under CBD Decision 15/8, are uniquely positioned to support Parties in addressing these challenges through tailored technical assistance, peer learning, capacity development and regional cooperation.

This side event will bring together two TSCCs operating in different regions: OSS in North Africa and the Humboldt Institute in Latin America, to share complementary experiences in supporting Parties. The OSS experience will highlight support provided to Tunisia and Libya in strengthening ABS and biosafety governance through national reporting processes, stakeholder consultations and capacity-building. The Humboldt Institute will share lessons from its support to Colombia in the context of Cartagena Protocol implementation, illustrating how scientific cooperation can strengthen biosafety governance and implementation.

The UN Biodiversity Lab will contribute a cross-cutting perspective on how spatial data, digital tools and knowledge platforms can support national planning, monitoring and reporting under the KM-GBF. This will help connect protocol implementation with broader biodiversity planning, NBSAP implementation and evidence-based decision-making.

The session will explore how reporting under the CBD, the Nagoya Protocol and the Cartagena Protocol can be used as a practical tool to strengthen governance, improve data systems, support implementation of Targets 13, 17, 20 and 21, and inform future financing and technical support needs.

By linking experiences from Africa and Latin America, the event will promote South-South and triangular cooperation and identify transferable lessons for other Parties facing similar implementation challenges.