7th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities ~Taking Action for Biodiversity~ and its associated Pavilion
#7thSummitCOP15
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ICLEI, together with its partners, is pleased to invite subnational and local governments to Montréal, Québec, Canada for the 7th Summit for Subnational Governments and Cities and its associated Pavilion. The Summit, an official parallel event to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the CBD, will be co-hosted with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and Regions4, along with the host Government of Québec and the City of Montréal and with the support and engagement of the Province of Yunnan and the City of Kunming. Both the Summit and the Pavilion are financially supported by the Government of Québec as main sponsor.
The Summit and Pavilion constitute an unprecedented global milestone to welcome significantly strengthened contributions from subnational governments and cities to the new post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). The Summit, focused on taking action for biodiversity, will be held on 11th and 12th December 2022 at the Palais des Congrès (blue zone) and will center around three elements: Engage, Influence and Act. For the first time at a CBD COP, there will be a dedicated Pavilion focusing entirely on subnational and local government actions and opportunities. The Pavilion program will include multiple events, from 8th to 18th December, during COP 15.
ENGAGE
INFLUENCE
ACT
The 7th Summit is dedicated to taking action and making commitments, with subnational governments and cities sharing and demonstrating inspirational biodiversity initiatives, solutions and achievements, and pivoting combined multi-level ambitions and engagement into measurable actions.
The outcome of this historic, action-oriented Summit will be presented formally by the hosts to the CBD COP 15 High Level Segment as a united message from the subnational constituency.
Outcomes of past summits have included declarations, such as the Sharm el Sheik Communiqué on Subnational Action for Nature and People, as well as concrete commitments.
Additional partners
Summit co-hosts
The 7th Global Summit is convened by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and co-hosted with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and Regions4, along with the host Government of Canada, Quebec and the City of Montreal as Summit hosts.
This milestone Summit and Pavilion are supported by the Government of Quebec, as main sponsors, and will welcome Parties, subnational governments, cities, their leaders, networks and partners from across the world to contribute and actively participate – in person or virtually.
Québec is recognized as a player committed to the conservation of the rich biological diversity of its territory and to the recognition of the role of the federated states within United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. It declared itself bound to this Convention in 1992 and has proudly hosted its Secretariat in Montréal since 1996. Quebec officially represents the federated states within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity by coordinating with Regions4 the Sub-national Governments Biodiversity Advisory Committee.
To learn more about the activities of the Ministry of International Relations et La Francophonie of Quebec and its 34 government offices in 19 countries, follow us on social media: Québec.ca/international
The Francophone metropolis of North America, Montréal is taking unprecedented action for the protection of urban biodiversity, namely by preserving green areas and pollinators, prohibiting the use of pesticides and plastic bags, and by protecting shores and wetlands. The fight against climate change is also a top priority for Montréal. Our metropolis aims to mobilize actors on the global front to generate a collaboration among cities, various levels of government, partners and local populations in order to accelerate the ecological transition. As the ICLEI Global Ambassador for Local Biodiversity, the mayor of Montréal is proud to be hosting the COP15 in Montréal. This event is the greatest gathering of the next ten years for the protection of biodiversity. What’s more, since 1996, Montréal has also been home to the UN Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and has been an active participant in both local and international initiatives.
To find out more about Montréal’s actions for biodiversity, go to: https://montreal.ca/en/articles/six-concrete-actions-favour-biodiversity-montreal-5461
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, ICLEI influences sustainability policy and drives local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. ICLEI brings sustainability to a rapidly developing urban world.
ICLEI’s Cities Biodiversity Center (CBC) is located in Cape Town, South Africa, embedded in the Africa Regional Office of ICLEI.
ICLEI CBC seeks local solutions to the complex issues surrounding natural capital and the degradation of ecosystem services in a rapidly urbanizing world. It recognizes the crucial role that cities and local governments play in the pursuit of a sustainable future through efficiently mainstreaming biodiversity and nature-based solutions into urban development and planning at the local level. ICLEI CBC offers cities a broad portfolio of supportive services through our dedicated team of passionate, skilled and dynamic biodiversity and urban development experts.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity was established to support the goals of the Convention. Its principal functions are to prepare for, and service, meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COP) and other subsidiary bodies of the Convention, and to coordinate with relevant international bodies.
As a neutral organization staffed by international civil servants, the Secretariat is accountable to the COP and its subsidiary bodies and carries out those tasks that fall under its associated mandate. The Secretariat is institutionally linked to UN Environment, its host institution. Its head, the Executive Secretary, is appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in consultation with the COP through its Bureau.
The Secretariat assists and provides administrative support to the COP, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and other Convention bodies. It represents the day-to-day focal point for the Convention, organizes all meetings under the Convention, prepares background documentation for those meetings and facilitates the flow of authoritative information on the implementation of the Convention. Compiling national reports on compliance by domestic authorities, elaborating technical reports and synthesis of the national reports and information on implementation, or assisting Parties in their activities, the Secretariat also acts as information clearing house.
Regions4 catalyzes regional governments’ leadership, mobilizes resources, advocates for increased recognition, and channels regions’ voices in the main United Nations fora on Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development.
Established during the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, today, Regions4 has 42 members plus a Global Community of over 200 regional governments from Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.
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Summit programme | 11 – 12 December
Subnational governments and Cities Pavilion
For the first time at a CBD COP, there will be a dedicated Pavilion, focusing on subnational government and city actions and opportunities. This clearly demonstrates an elevated recognition and the biodiversity community of the significant contributions of local and subnational governments towards the implementation of the GBF.
The Pavilion will showcase an exciting, packed daily program and will offer subnational governments and cities, their partners and CBD Parties more opportunities than ever before to showcase their work, learn from others, and make the links between biodiversity, climate, water security, food security, pollution and waste, the circular economy and job creation, focusing on systems-based approaches.
The Pavilion will provide a wide variety of
engagement opportunities, announcements, celebrations, bilateral meetings and in-depth deliberations
between
CBD Parties, subnational governments and cities, their stakeholders, international organizations, UN bodies, finance and investment institutions, the business sector, and science and research sector
about
actions and solutions, financing opportunities, partnerships, and investments in biodiversity and nature-based solutions
to
bring about the transformative change that is urgently needed.
About the summit logo
As an official event of the CDB COP, it is customary for each Biodiversity Summit of Subnational Governments and Cities to create a logo that aligns with the COP logo. The logo and its visual elements give the Summit a unique visual identity and strengthen the link between the COP and the Summit. As an official event of the CDB COP, it is customary for each Biodiversity Summit of Subnational Governments and Cities to create a logo that aligns with the COP logo.
The logo and its visual elements give the Summit a unique visual identity and strengthen the link between the COP and the Summit.
Since the 7th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities: Taking Action for Biodiversity, is being held in the city of Montréal, Québec, a logo has been created that reflects both the imagery of the approved COP 15 logo, most notably the water drop and colour, but also the current hosts of the Summit.
The multi-layered 7th Summit logo incorporates urban and natural elements, green and blue spaces that represent Canada, Québec and Montréal, as well as some elements referencing China.
The white pine on the bottom left, represents the Indigenous Peoples of Montréal and the beautiful Iris versicolor is the floral emblem of Quebec. In addition, the Biosphere, an iconic landmark in Montréal, is a museum dedicated to the environment and its structure pioneers sustainable architecture in the city.
The five elements (layers) from Chinese philosophy demonstrate how all aspects of human health are interconnected with nature and our environment. The swallow is an emblem of good fortune and positive change, and is a reference to Kunming being
known as “the Spring City”.
Background to the Summit
Subnational governments and cities are on the frontline of the triple planetary crisis – the three main interlinked issues that humanity currently faces: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Although policy frameworks and targets to address these challenges are decided at the global level, their implementation happens at the local and subnational level. Accordingly, this is where the transformative actions will and need to occur to ensure we bend the curve on biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and destruction.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, in partnership with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) and each national and subnational host of the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the CBD, and global partners such as Regions4 have been convening Global Biodiversity Summits for subnational governments at all levels as parallel events at CBD COPs since 2008. These Summits provide an important platform for CBD Parties to engage with the local and subnational community, their key networks and partners on their increasingly recognized and vital contribution to the achievement of the objectives and targets of the Convention.
The Edinburgh Process
On behalf of the CBD, the Edinburgh Process – led by the Scottish Government, and a global partnership between ICLEI, Regions4 and Quebec province, among others – has been focusing on consulting local and subnational governments on their role in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and targets, in particular amplifying the voices of this constituency through the Edinburgh Declaration. This Declaration called for a renewed decision on engagement with subnational governments, cities and other local authorities to enhance implementation of the post-2020 framework, and the updated Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity (2021-2030), to ensure the inclusion of all levels of government in the implementation of the framework. Similarly, outcomes of past summits have included declarations, such as the Sharm el Sheik Communiqué on Subnational Action for Nature and People, as well as concrete commitments.