Despite ambitious global commitments towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, putting biodiversity commitments into action on the ground has remained a defining challenge of the Kunming-Montreal era. In late March 2025, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s Facilitator Programme, which includes 22 national and regional facilitators, met in person for the first time in Nairobi, Kenya. Over five days, the Facilitator Programme Global Workshop engaged NBSAP Accelerator Partnership Facilitators, the Global Coordination Unit, and Senior Management from hosting United Nations entities: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The week focused on intensive training, peer exchange, and relationship-building. The cohort emerged with a renewed spirit of action and a joint declaration signalling their commitment to acceleration.

NBSAP Accelerator Partnership Facilitators came together in Nairobi for a first-ever Facilitator Programme Global Workshop. The 22 Facilitators represent Armenia, Bolivia, Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Vanuatu/Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). They convened alongside the Global Coordination Unit and senior management from UN host organisations. The workshop was structured around two core objectives: capacity building and team building. Each was designed to strengthen not just individual facilitator skills, but the connective tissue of the programme as a whole.

Tailored training sessions equipped facilitators with knowledge and tools to support their roles within the NBSAP ecosystem. Key topics included:

• Creating a shared facilitator identity across diverse national contexts
• Supporting host countries through the MatchMaking process from start to finish
• Advocating for whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches
• Influencing policy through strategic advocacy

Alongside the training programme, dedicated time was allocated to foster trust and stronger relationships between the GCU and in-country facilitators, building essential foundations for effective global-to-national coordination.

The workshop produced tangible outcomes that will shape how the Facilitator Programme delivers support in the months ahead:

• Increased interactions between facilitators and the GCU, supporting enhanced efficiency at the country level
• A strengthened facilitator network with greater engagement across and within regions, enabling South–South knowledge exchange between facilitator host countries
• A renewed, shared spirit of Action, Ambition, and Acceleration, reaffirmed by a joint declaration

A defining moment of the workshop was the signing of the Joint Declaration on Accelerating NBSAP Implementation by all 22 participating facilitators. Read the Declaration below.

Joint Declaration on Accelerating NBSAP Implementation
Facilitator Programme & NBSAP Accelerator Partnership

We recognize that despite global commitments, NBSAP implementation remains far below the speed and scale required to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

We acknowledge that a critical gap remains in translating national strategies and ambition into financed, coordinated, actionable, and effective delivery on the ground.

We affirm that:

• The Facilitator Programme addresses this gap by providing sustained, country-driven technical and financial support to strengthen and accelerate coordinated NBSAP implementation
• National and regional facilitators act as neutral trusted experts and brokers, enabling coordination across institutions, sectors and stakeholders
• Tailored, in-country support is essential to move from ambitious commitments to delivery

We commit to:

• Strengthen national and regional coordination and partnerships
• Identify and monitor country-specific priorities and needs
• Support the mobilization of technical and financial resources
• Promote a country-led, inclusive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach

We call for:

• Stronger alignment of current and emerging initiatives and funding with country-defined NBSAP priorities
• A shift from fragmented support to coordinated and synergistic delivery
• Increased investment from the donor community in implementation capacity, not only planning and revision processes
• Greater synergy between biodiversity, climate and sustainable land-use priorities to support integrated national delivery

We reaffirm our shared commitment to accelerating NBSAP implementation and supporting Parties in delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework, through action that is coordinated, country-led, and results-driven.

ACTION > AMBITION > ACCELERATION

The Nairobi workshop marks the beginning of a new phase. With strengthened networks, sharpened skills, and a clear collective mandate, facilitators will now focus on accelerating NBSAP implementation at the country level, backed by the technical and financial support the programme provides.

To learn more about the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership and the Facilitator Programme, visit nbsapaccelerator.org/facilitator-programme.