By Iñaki Susaeta, Secretary General at Regions4

The world has high expectations for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that will take place in Kunming, China, in the final quarter of 2020. The event will be a milestone in the biodiversity agenda, and it has a huge task ahead: approve a new global framework for biodiversity with the strongest political support, delivering a New Deal for Nature and People in order to halt biodiversity loss. At a moment when higher political ambition and leadership are on high demand, subnational governments raise to the challenge to reinforce their commitment for a sustainable planet.

It is widely acknowledged that decentralised efforts help nations reach their biodiversity targets while serving as testing grounds to evaluate strategies and implementation techniques. The new post-2020 framework will bring a new era and greater opportunities for subnational governments to join forces to create a new collective vision that can lead action to ensure biodiversity conservation in every territory worldwide.

In this context, the Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments and Biodiversity (AC SNG), is proud to announce new partnerships with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). Both leading organisations will strengthen the AC SNG, and its pivotal role for further reach and collaboration to increasingly influence the global biodiversity arena.

As a permanent structure officially recognised by the CBD, coordinated by Regions4 and the Government of Québec, the AC SNG has carried out important actions to advocate for subnational governments at the heart of the CBD Secretariat, and has channeled regional ambitions and perspective for the post-2020 framework into the heart of the negotiations.

Representing the voice of regions in every continent worldwide, the AC SNG has reaffirmed its leading role by providing contributions to the structure of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for the greater involvement of subnational actors and policy coherence across all sectors affecting our biodiversity. In addition, the SBSTTA23 will see the launch of the next AC SNG report on the experience of subnational governments on mainstreaming biodiversity, and their insights and observations on how to close the gap between the biodiversity targets and the actions.

Global initiatives and platforms such as the AC SNG and Regions4 will continue to bring the voice of regions, states and territories to the global biodiversity agenda, with the aim to place regional leaders at the centre of the negotiation.

We invite all regions worldwide to join our efforts on biodiversity, to lead by example and to walk the talk for a sustainable future.

More information at: Regions4 Biodiversity

Iñaki Susaeta, Secretary General at Region4