International Day for Biological Diversity 2025

Register Here

Background

The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDBD) 2025 highlights the importance of living in balance with nature and ensuring that development practices are aligned with biodiversity conservation. Under the theme, ‘Harmony with nature and sustainable development’, the celebration resounds with a call for ongoing efforts to integrate conservation into development goals and their implementation. Regional organisations, particularly intergovernmental institutions, play a key role in informing and influencing member countries in the formulation and implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to ensure alignment with global biodiversity goals. NBSAPs are essential for countries to develop and implement strategies to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Over the past decade, countries that are Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have made significant progress in raising awareness about the interlinkages between development and conservation. Approaches and strategies, such as but not limited to the nature-based solutions (NbS), ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) have become integral components of many, if not all, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) submitted and currently being implemented by countries. These strategies are proof that conservation and development can go hand in hand. In 2022, parties to the CBD adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It sets a global roadmap to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, with 23 targets and four goals for 2050. This year’s IDBD celebration provides an opportunity to pause, reflect on our progress with GBF and adjust our plans where needed.

Recognising these milestones and call to action, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is organising this webinar to showcase current work, define gaps, and opportunities and chart ways forward in sustaining development and conservation in the HKH region with focus on the opportunities to deliver on the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework through the various funding opportunities supporting NBSAP implementation.

This webinar will include a mix of presentations and a panel discussion with representatives from ICIMOD’s regional member countries (RMCs) to gather best practices and insights on how ICIMOD could best provide technical support to countries in achieving their NBSAP commitments.

Objectives

The objectives of this regional webinar are:

• To share and learn from the best practices of regional development and conservation mainstreaming initiatives in the Asia region.
• To share updates and programmes, particularly financing opportunities, under the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework.
• To gather insights from the RMCs on their progress, challenges, gaps, and technical support requirements in implementing their NBSAPs.

Expected Outcomes

• Increased awareness among participants on the current programmes, particularly on biodiversity financing under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
• Learned new best practices on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation and development from other regional organisations.
• Insights on RMCs’ implementation of NBSAPs including progress, challenges, and technical support needs.