Biodiversity, Climate Action, Conferences, Development & Aid, Editor’s Pick, Environment, Featured, Gender, Global, Headlines, Indigenous Rights, Natural Resources, Sustainable Development Goals, TerraViva United Nations
Biodiversity
The sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI-6) is underway in Rome. Credit: Mike Muzurakis | IISD/ENB |
– Governments met in Rome on Monday (February 16) for a critical round of UN negotiations on biodiversity, launching the world’s first global review of how countries are acting to protect nature.
The sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI-6) of the Convention on Biological Diversity opened at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), attracting government negotiators, technical experts and civil society observers from around the world. It will continue until February 19.
Although considered a technical meeting, the four-day session is expected to play a decisive role in shaping how progress will be assessed under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and whether political promises can be translated into measurable actions on the ground.
“Now is the time to move from commitments to delivery,” said Clarissa Souza Della Nina of Brazil, Chair of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation. “The task before us is to help countries accelerate measures to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.”
Clarissa Souza Della Nina of Brazil, Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation. Credit: Mike Muzurakis | IISD/ENB
A global balance of nature
The Rome talks come two years after countries completed the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement, which confirmed that the world is still a long way from meeting climate goals.
Now a parallel exercise for biodiversity begins.
Under the CBD, governments will undertake the first global review of progress in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), adopted in 2022. The framework includes 23 goals spanning conservation, finance, equity and economic transformation, with the overall goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.
Biodiversity monitoring is more complex than emissions accounting, but CBD leaders say it is urgently needed.
“The time has come to make peace with nature…implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement synergistically will make peace with nature within our reach,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Why is Rome important?
SBI-6 plays a central role in preparing for the upcoming global biodiversity review by examining implementation progress, highlighting gaps and proposing ways to accelerate action. Negotiators will present the results directly to COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, later this year.
“A year after COP16 concluded here in Rome, we must ensure that these meetings generate real progress. Submitting timely national reports is essential for a robust and credible global review in the race to 2030,” Schomaker said.
A major focus of SBI-6 is the Secretariat’s analysis of national biodiversity strategies and action plans submitted since 2022. But despite growing momentum, significant gaps remain. Many strategies still do not adequately integrate indigenous peoples, local communities, women, youth or the private sector. Crucial objectives related to economic and social transformation, including sustainable consumption, equity and benefit-sharing, continue to be underestimated.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), underlined what is at stake in the launch of the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report:
“Whether investments are directed towards the destruction of nature or its protection will determine whether we live in climate-vulnerable concrete jungles or climate-resilient green cities,” he warned, stressing that financial and political decisions made today will shape countries’ ability to meet biodiversity goals.
In the photo, an indigenous woman and defender of Amazonian biodiversity holds a coconut from the forest. The women call for better implementation of article 23 of the KMGBF. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS
Gender, finance and capacity challenges
Delegates are also reviewing progress under the CBD Gender Action Plan (2023-2030). Early assessments show that only a quarter of countries involved women’s groups in formulating biodiversity strategies, and only 12 percent plan to do so in the future.
“Ensuring the full, effective and meaningful participation of women and other rights holders is essential for the accountability, inclusion and effectiveness of biodiversity actions, and for achieving the full ambition of the global framework,” said the CBD Women’s Caucus in its official presentation.
Finances remain another major point of contention. While major financing decisions are expected later this year, Rome’s deliberations draw heavily on new research on biodiversity finance, sovereign debt and the connections between climate and nature finance.
“If we are to mobilize the finance and resources that nature critically needs, businesses, finance and governments must face the reality that persistent gaps in reliable data, incentives and institutional capacity are holding back meaningful action and, unless these barriers are addressed, many countries and sectors will continue to struggle to turn agreed targets into results,” said Matt Jones, co-chair of the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment 2026.
Countdown to national reports
The Rome meeting comes just weeks before countries are due to submit their Seventh National Reports under the CBD, scheduled for February 28, 2026.
These national publications will serve as the main source of information for the global biodiversity review, together with national strategies and objectives.
However, many countries remain unprepared to submit their applications on time. On the first day, Brazil, one of the most influential actors in global biodiversity policy, highlighted the need for flexibility.
“Ensuring the quality, consistency and internal validation of data and indicators requires additional time. In this context, Brazil suggests that the SBI recommendations prioritize technical guidance, operational flexibility and specific support for capacity development to enable high-quality reporting, rather than focusing solely on reinforcing timelines,” said the country’s delegate.
A proof of responsibility
While SBI-6 is unlikely to produce headline-grabbing announcements, it will determine how global action on biodiversity will be evaluated over the next decade.
For indigenous peoples and local communities, who manage a significant portion of the world’s remaining biodiversity, the meeting represents a critical test of whether rights, participation and lived realities will be meaningfully reflected in the global assessment process.
“This process must lead to accountability, not just documentation,” emphasized Pirawan Wongnithisathaporn, Environment Program Officer of the Asian Indigenous Peoples’ Pact (AIPP), calling for tangible actions rather than just reports.
The OSE-6 will conclude on Thursday, February 19. Negotiations will continue at SBI-7 in August 2026 as governments move steadily towards the first global biodiversity review at COP17.
IPS UN Office Report
$images_for_story = ips_images_for_story(); echo $images_for_story; // story photos to display in sidebar ?>
