Leparua, Kenya

On the week of May 19th, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership participated in a national workshop aimed at strengthening Indigenous communities' participation in the NBSAP implementation process in Kenya. The workshop had leadership representation from nine Indigenous groups across Kenya.

Key highlights of the workshop included:

• Exploring barriers to Indigenous Peoples' (IP) participation in the Kenya NBSAP process – and strategies to ensure IPs’ rights and access to resources are secured through inclusive planning and implementation mechanisms.

• Presentations from the Government of Kenya and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership – where Kenya’s NBSAP progress and potential sources of implementation support, including funding avenues for IP-led initiatives, were shared.

• A collective request by participants to develop a national framework to facilitate more structured and meaningful engagement of Indigenous communities in the NBSAP implementation process.

Indigenous leaders from across Kenya exchanging ideas and experiences during a week-long workshop in Leparua. Photo by IMPACT Kenya

Held in Leparua, Northern Kenya, the workshop was hosted by IMPACT Kenya and created space for dialogue, learning, and collaboration among Indigenous leaders, national stakeholders, and development partners. It also commemorated the International Day for Biological Diversity with the local Leparua community, celebrating the vital role Indigenous knowledge play in conserving ecosystems and achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

NBSAP Accelerator Partnership facilitator for Kenya, David Githaiga, presenting during the Indigenous Peoples Learning Workshop on Localizing the Kenya NBSAP. Photo by IMPACT Kenya

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The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is a country-led initiative to accelerate the implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), raise their political profile, and drive collective action for nature. It is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through its International Climate Initiative (IKI), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), through the global project “GBF Implementation,” implemented by GIZ. Its work is facilitated by a Global Coordination Unit (GCU) hosted by UNEP, UNDP and the Secretariat of the CBD.