Understanding the Biodiversity COPs
Cities and regions committing for nature
For more than two decades, ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center has worked closely with the United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and a range of partners to elevate the voice of local and subnational governments and ensure that strong action is taken to create vibrant cities and regions, where people and biodiversity can thrive.
Understanding the Biodiversity COPs
Why should local and subnational governments, their leaders and urban communities care about CBD COPs and take action for nature?
This page explores how the Convention on Biological Diversity works and why and how cities and regions shoud take part.
What are the United Nations Rio Conventions?
When the UN General Assembly adopts a Convention, it creates international norms and standards. Once a Convention is adopted, Member States (or Parties) can then ratify the convention, promising to uphold it.
Biodiversity: the web of life
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, means the variety of life. It is the essence underpinning life, making every living organism on the planet unique and enabling nature to thrive as part of an interconnected system.
Biodiversity under threat, life under threat.
Biodiversity continues to be lost at an unprecedented rate, despite its crucial importance for life.
More than 48,600 species are threatened with extinction.
That is 28% of all assessed species.
Estimates of future extinction rates are significantly higher than the current rates.
Source: IUCN Red List
The Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international treaty with the ambitious aim to conserve biodiversity, and promote its sustainable use and fair access and benefit-sharing arising from its genetic resources. The Secretariat of the CBD is based in Montreal, Canada and provides administrative support for the implementation of the CBD.
The CBD has 196 Parties.
Why is the CBD COP important?
The CBD COPs are the most high-level international meetings at which biodiversity is discussed and at which international decisions regarding biodiversity are made.
COPs are held every two years. Here, states at national level commit to agreed upon goals and targets, which become legally binding under international law.
CBD COP Decisions
Parties formally meet at the COP to advance the implementation of the CBD through official decisions.
COP decisions facilitate the critical support needed for local and subnational governments to support their nations in the implementation of the CBD.
Local and subnational governments make decisions on a daily basis, often with irreversible net-positive or negative impacts on nature.
Why is there a specific decision for cities and regions?
Cities & Regions – working together with all stakeholders – are essential to protecting biodiversity, restoring ecosystems and reconnecting people with nature. They are an integral level of government, closest to the people, ensuring integration, and contributing to transformative change. They can make tangible contributions to implementing the objectives and targets of the CBD.
Why cities and regions should engage in the CBD Process
Cities should engage in the CBD processes to ensure their voices and ambitions are heard and reflected in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other related UN processes, such as the SDGs, the UNFCCC and the New Urban Agenda.
How can cities and regions get involved?
ICLEI CBC and partners host an official parallel event at each CBD COP. At these global Summits for Subnational Governments and Cities, governors, mayors and other subnational government leaders from around the world come together with national governments and partners to showcase local biodiversity action, share progress, make commitments, strengthen partnerships, mobilize resources and help translate the global biodiversity agenda into implementation on the ground.
Why cities and regions should join CitiesWithNature & RegionsWithNature
CitiesWithNature is a global platform for cities and other subnational governments, their communities and experts. Here you can connect, share and learn from others in order to truly integrate nature into the fabric of your city: from local community parks through to boardroom decisions and city budgets.
Joining is free & easy!