One of UNEP’s activities involves helping countries draw up official plans for implementing their international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) are the principal instruments for implementing the CBD at the national level (Article 6).
CBD requires countries to prepare a national biodiversity strategy (or equivalent instrument) and to ensure that this strategy is mainstreamed into the planning and activities of all those sectors whose activities can have an impact (positive and negative) on biodiversity.
Article 6 of the Convention on General Measures for Conservation and Sustainable Use states that each contracting party shall, in accordance with its particular conditions and capabilities:
- Develop national strategies, plans or programmes for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity or adapt for this purpose existing strategies, plans or programmes
- Integrate, as far as possible and as appropriate, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies.
Article 6 creates an obligation for national biodiversity planning. A national strategy will reflect how the country intends to fulfil the objectives of the Convention in light of specific national circumstances, and the related action plans will constitute the sequence of steps to be taken to meet these goals.
The requirement to integrate consideration of the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources into national decision-making, and mainstream issues across all sectors of the national economy and policy-making framework, are complex challenges at the heart of the Convention.
Alongside NBSAP revision, UNEP has also supported the same countries in preparation of the national reports to the CBD. Article 26 and Article 10(a) are closely linked to Article 6. The first calls for Parties (countries) to present, through their national reports, information on measures which have been taken for the implementation of CBD provisions. The latter encourages Parties to integrate consideration of the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources into national decision-making. Of the 83 countries supported by UNEP since 2011, 73 (89 per cent) have submitted their fifth national reports to the CBD.
What kind of support does UNEP provide?
UNEP provides technical support to help countries revise and update their NBSAPs through:
- Training of countries on how to revise their NBSAPs
- Providing online tools
- Peer review of draft NBSAP products
- The NBSAP Forum (a virtual platform), of which UNEP is a co-host
- Support on emerging issues which need to be included in NBSAPs
Under the Emerging Issues, (issues which have cropped up in the previous 12 months), UNEP helps countries include aspects related to synergies among different biodiversity conventions, and provides support on aspects related to the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNEP also provides implementation support on legal preparedness, Institutional and governance issues, capacity-building, target and indicator development, mainstreaming biodiversity, spatial data and mapping
Of the 83 countries supported by UNEP, 40 (49%) have completed their NBSAPs and submitted them to the CBD secretariat, 13 (16%) have final drafts ready, while 30 (35%) are still revising their NBSAPs.
UNEP has worked with the CBD secretariat, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), UNDP, governments and some NGOs. CBD focal points are responsible for NBSAP revision and coordination.
