2006

COP 8 — Curitiba, Brazil. Cities and local authorities are recognized in the biodiversity agenda. The Secretariat creates an inter-agency task force to support the integration of cities, and to prepare a meeting on "Cities and Biodiversity: Achieving the 2010 Biodiversity Target" to be held in Curitiba in March 2007. The task force brings together the Secretariat of the CBD, UNEP's Division of Environment, UN-HABITAT, UNITAR, IUCN's Countdown 2010 Initiative, ICLEI's Local Action for Biodiversity project, UNESCO, the Government of Brazil and the City of Curitiba.

2007

26–28 March — First Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity. At the initiative of the Mayor of Curitiba, city representatives convene and adopt the Curitiba Declaration on Cities and Biodiversity, committing to contribute to the Convention's objectives, and form a Steering Committee with the cities of Curitiba, Montreal, Bonn and Nagoya together with the inter-agency task force. This Steering Committee is the origin of what will later become the Advisory Committee on Local Governments.

2008

COP 9 — Bonn, Germany. Parties adopt Decision IX/28, the first decision dedicated to the role of cities and local authorities in achieving the global biodiversity targets. Singapore proposes support to develop a City Biodiversity Index. For the first time, mayors of the Steering Committee speak at a high-level segment, presenting the Bonn Call for Action before ministers and officials. COP 9 also hosts the first parallel Cities Biodiversity Summit.

7 October — IUCN World Conservation Congress. The Global Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity is formally launched, bringing together UN agencies, networks and authorities to support cities and local authorities in the sustainable management of their biodiversity resources.

2009

10–12 February — First Expert Workshop on the Cities Biodiversity Index, Singapore. The National Parks Board Singapore, the Secretariat of the CBD and the Global Partnership convene technical experts who begin developing the components of the Index, and decide to call it the Singapore Index in acknowledgement of the country's initiative and support.

June — ICLEI World Congress. The Secretariat and the ICLEI-LAB project organize the Urban Nature Forum in Edmonton, Canada, where the first face-to-face meeting of the Global Partnership takes place.

2010

6–8 January — Second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity. At the invitation of the Government of Brazil and the City of Curitiba, over 150 Partnership members and city representatives convene and begin drafting the first Plan of Action. They adopt the Second Curitiba Declaration on Local Authorities and Biodiversity, widening the scope from cities to local authorities.

1–3 July — Second Expert Workshop on the Cities Biodiversity Index, Singapore.

COP 10 — Nagoya, Japan. Parties adopt the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2011–2020) and recognize the mayors' advisory committee first set up in 2007, with the cities of Montreal, Curitiba, Bonn and Nagoya (Decision X/22). At the second Cities Biodiversity Summit, mayors and local representatives adopt the Aichi/Nagoya Declaration on Local Authorities and Biodiversity.

2011

17–19 January — First Implementation Meeting. Hosted by the City of Montpellier, it brings together 38 participants representing more than 2,100 cities and regions, with the mandate to design the road map for implementation before COP 11.

29–31 August — nrg4SD General Assembly, Quebec City. The Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development, now Regions4, launches a Working Group on Biodiversity led by the State of Paraná and the Rhône-Alpes region. This group will later become an Advisory Committee within the Global Partnership.

5–6 September — Second Implementation Meeting, Bonn. Work continues on the road map for city action aligned with the Plan of Action.

11–13 October — Third Expert Workshop on the Cities Biodiversity Index, Singapore. The final meeting to finalize the Index and adjust its guidelines.

2012

24–27 April — Meeting of Subnational Governments in Support of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Hosted by the State of Paraná in Curitiba, the meeting formally establishes the Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments, giving states, regions and provinces their own advisory body alongside the Committee of Local Authorities operating since 2007. From this point the Global Partnership works through two Advisory Committees.

COP 11 — Hyderabad, India. Parties agree to promote the integration of subnational governments, youth and civil society, and urge support for local strategies and subnational networks. The decision requests the Executive Secretary to support the Global Partnership as a platform for scientific and technical cooperation, capacity development and dissemination of best practices (Decision XI/8). The parallel Cities for Life Summit adopts the Hyderabad Declaration, and the first Cities and Biodiversity Outlook is launched.

2014

COP 12 — Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. Parties reinforce their engagement with subnational and local governments, adding a focus on sustainable urbanization and inviting Parties to build subnational capacity for spatial planning. For the first time a COP decision addresses both Advisory Committees in the plural, and names related initiatives working alongside the Global Partnership (Decision XII/9). The fourth Biodiversity Summit for Cities and Subnational Governments adopts the Gangwon/Pyeongchang Resolution.

2016

COP 13 — Cancún, Mexico. Parties agree to enhance their efforts to engage subnational and local governments to strengthen their contribution to the implementation of the Convention and its Strategic Plan (Decision XIII/3). The Global Partnership is named as a partner for developing urban biodiversity toolkits, case-study platforms and knowledge exchange. Over 700 participants from 73 countries convene at the Fifth Global Biodiversity Summit of Cities and Subnational Governments, adopting the Quintana Roo Communiqué on Mainstreaming Local and Subnational Biodiversity Action.

2018

COP 14 — Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Parties initiate the process to develop a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, inviting local and subnational authorities to engage and contribute, and launching the Sharm El-Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People (Decision 14/34). The Sixth Global Biodiversity Summit of Local and Subnational Governments is co-convened by the Secretariat, ICLEI's Cities Biodiversity Center, nrg4SD and the South Sinai Governorate, and adopts the Sharm El-Sheikh Communiqué for Local and Subnational Action for Nature and People.

2019

October — Workshop on the Review of the Singapore Index on Cities' Biodiversity. Revision and update of the Index to reflect current biodiversity and climate realities, including the discussions on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

2020

The Edinburgh Process. Responding to Decision 14/34, the Scottish Government convenes the Edinburgh Process for Subnational and Local Governments, together with the Secretariat of the CBD, ICLEI, Regions4, the Group of Leading Subnational Governments towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the European Committee of the Regions. The Process delivers the Edinburgh Declaration, which voices subnational ambition for the post-2020 framework and calls for a renewed decision to update the Plan of Action adopted under Decision X/22.

2022

COP 15 — Montreal, Canada. Parties adopt Decision 15/12, endorsing the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2023–2030), aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The decision reaffirms the work of the Global Partnership and its two Advisory Committees, and recognizes CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature as reporting and monitoring platforms. Co-hosted by ICLEI, the Secretariat and Regions4 with the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal, the Seventh Summit accompanies the adoption of the new Plan of Action. For the first time, a COP dedicates an area to a Subnational Governments and Cities Pavilion.

2024

COP 16 — Cali, Colombia (resumed in Rome, 2025). COP 16 produces no dedicated subnational decision. Subnational and local content is distributed across several outcomes: Decision 16/13 invites the reporting of subnational and local commitments through the seventh national reports; Decision 16/31 urges subnational governments to strengthen monitoring systems; and Decision 16/32 provides the basis for connecting the subnational reporting platforms to the Clearing-House Mechanism. The Eighth Summit of Cities and Subnational Governments is held in Cali, co-hosted by ICLEI and Regions4.

2025

30 November — Integration with the Clearing-House Mechanism. Data from CitiesWithNature and RegionsWithNature begins feeding automatically into the CBD Clearing-House Mechanism: a commitment registered by a city or region flows into its country's national dashboard, which the national government can accept or decline within a four-week window.