As the world prepares for International Women’s Day on March 8, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is celebrating its collaborative initiative on gender equality and biodiversity conservation. As global discussions continue under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the mid-term review of the CBD Gender Plan of Action highlights continued gaps, the project “Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation through NBSAPs,” funded by the Government of Canada, has demonstrated that systemic change is possible when countries are supported in their leadership.

Through the project, seven countries are working to embed gender-responsive approaches into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). The initiative supports Antigua & Barbuda, Comoros, Costa Rica, Eswatini, Tajikistan, Thailand and Togo in advancing their national biodiversity and gender equality goals together. At its core, the initiative aims to strengthen implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the CBD, particularly Target 22 and Target 23, alongside the CBD Gender Plan of Action (2022–2030).

The objectives of the project are to: enhance institutional capacity; increase women’s participation and leadership; support global learning and knowledge sharing; and increase understanding of gender-responsive biodiversity actions in, between, and beyond partner countries. Together, countries and partners jointly identify priorities and co-create national solutions to integrate gender equality into biodiversity policies and actions. These solutions can be submitted to the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism, which connects country biodiversity needs with relevant technical and financial partners to support NBSAP implementation.

Over the past ten months, countries and partners collaborating on the project have:

• Established multi-sectoral Country Core Teams
• Conducted gender analyses and national consultations
• Hosted multi-stakeholder workshops
• Submitted inputs to the CBD Gender Plan of Action mid-term review
• Identified priority gender-responsive biodiversity solutions
• Launched global technical support help desk (Gender and NBSAP BRIDGE)
• Developed practical tools, including a Facilitation Toolkit for co-creating gender-responsive biodiversity solutions

Beyond activities, the most significant progress has been procedural. Gender has been increasingly embedded in NBSAP revision processes, National Reports, and inter-ministerial coordination structures within these countries, marking the potential for sustained systemic change.

At the country level, implementation of actions has been led by multi-sectoral Country Core Teams composed of CBD (Gender and Biodiversity) Focal Points and representatives from ministries responsible for biodiversity and gender policy. National workshops and consultations engage women’s groups, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, youth, academia and state institutions, including national gender machineries. Technical support is provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Progress is reported on the project’s community webpage.

With implementation continuing through March and a wrap-up phase through July 2026, countries and collaborating partners are working to ensure that gender-responsive NBSAPs move from concept to sustained national action.

International Women’s Day reminds us that biodiversity action and gender equality are inseparable. As we lead up to March 8th, explore how gender-responsive biodiversity planning can strengthen national implementation and join us in advancing inclusive, country-led action.