In 2025, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership engaged worldwide at diverse regional and subregional dialogues spanning the Caribbean, Pacific Small Island Developing States, Francophone Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Southern Africa, Latin America, and beyond.

Across regions, countries are making tangible progress in updating and implementing their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and strengthening monitoring and reporting systems under the Global Biodiversity Framework. Many countries participating in the 2025 dialogues reported that they have either finalized, submitted, or are in advanced stages of revising their NBSAPs and national targets, demonstrating strong political commitment and momentum toward implementation.

Reflecting on the Caribbean dialogue, Eva Gurria of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership noted, encouragingly:

“Even with capacity constraints, countries are finding practical ways to align people, institutions, and data around shared biodiversity goals to form essential building blocks for delivery.”

Countries are also investing in stronger national monitoring systems. Several are developing or improving biodiversity monitoring plans, expanding the use of spatial data and digital reporting tools, and establishing national data-sharing platforms to support evidence-based decision-making. Community-based monitoring, including the integration of Indigenous Peoples’ and local community knowledge, is increasingly being incorporated into national systems, strengthening both data quality and stakeholder ownership.

Regional collaboration is accelerating progress. Across dialogues, countries exchanged practical experiences, shared indicator methodologies, and strengthened cooperation on data systems. Regional technical and scientific cooperation centres are playing a growing role in supporting capacity development, knowledge exchange, and access to tools and technologies tailored to regional priorities.

Countries are also making progress in preparing their seventh national reports (7NRs). Many Parties have launched national reporting processes and are applying lessons from the dialogues, including training on the Online Reporting Tool and improved coordination across ministries and sectors. In several regions, countries are aligning biodiversity implementation more closely with climate, agriculture, health, and development planning, reinforcing whole-of-government approaches and creating stronger enabling environments for delivery.

These actions reflect growing confidence, strengthened partnerships, and a shared commitment among countries to translate biodiversity ambition into measurable results.

Across dialogues in diverse cities from Yaoundé, Cameroon, to Bangkok, Thailand, participants highlighted persistent challenges in biodiversity monitoring and reporting. Fragmented data systems, limited financial resources, skills shortages, and siloed institutional arrangements were common realities. Dialogues highlighted weak cross-sectoral coordination and underutilised biodiversity committees, as well as limited meaningful engagement of indigenous peoples, local communities, women, youth, and the private sector. There was broad recognition that high-quality monitoring and reporting are a foundation for effective NBSAP implementation.

These patterns were echoed at the regional level. Diego Ochoa of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, stressed that these global themes rang true in Latin American countries:

“While political commitments and country actions exist, countries also face significant gaps in institutional capacity, in integrating biodiversity into economic and financial agendas, and in ensuring the continuity of implementation processes. These findings align with dialogues worldwide, reinforcing the need for mechanisms to support implementation beyond the formulation of plans.”

Beyond guidance in principle, countries asked for support that works in practice. Dialogue after dialogue emphasised the need for hands-on, application-oriented capacity development, including mentorship, peer learning, and “learning by doing.” Countries called for regionally adapted monitoring tools, more accessible data platforms, including platforms that could work with their national systems, and clearer guidance on integrating indicators, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and disaggregated data into national systems.

Financing emerged as another defining theme. Countries stressed the limitations of short-term, project-based funding and the urgency of accessing predictable, long-term finance for NBSAP implementation. This included interest in blended finance approaches, biodiversity finance plans, and stronger connections to donors and private-sector partners—areas where the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism is increasingly seen as a valuable platform.

Equally important was the call for whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. Countries emphasised that inclusion must go beyond consultation, positioning Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, youth, and the private sector as active contributors and leaders within monitoring and implementation systems.

Reflecting on the Western Asia dialogue in Bahrain, Gemedo Dalle Tussie of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership observed: 

A unique thematic emphasis compared to other dialogues occurred in Armenia, where the dialogue explicitly elevated the One Health lens, highlighting the connection between biodiversity and human health.

In Western Asia, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership played a central convening role at the CBD Subregional Dialogue in Bahrain, leading technical discussions on biodiversity monitoring and reporting. The dialogue reinforced the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s role as a trusted regional facilitator supporting countries’ preparation for the 7NR and accelerated NBSAP implementation. Across all regions, the MatchMaking Mechanism was consistently presented as a neutral platform for countries to connect with partners on tailored technical and financial assistance to accelerate country-led implementation actions.

The regional format itself proved to be a powerful enabler. Participants repeatedly pointed to the value of peer exchange, shared learning, and subregional collaboration. These spaces fostered trust, surfaced practical solutions, and helped countries see their challenges not as isolated, but as shared and solvable. Regional and subregional dialogues led to improved national monitoring capacity, increased readiness for the 7NR, stronger regional coordination and cooperation, and clearer opportunities for technical and financial support.

The implementation and use of CBD Subregional Technical and Scientific Cooperation Centres (TSCCs) was a major focus area. Several TSCCs are now institutional members of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership and are using the MatchMaking Mechanism to partner with regional projects, as in the case of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) supporting work in Somalia.

In the Pacific, for example, SPREP, an institutional member of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership and a major regional TSCC, is supporting coordination among island nations, promoting climate-biodiversity integration, and driving long-term implementation of the GBF through institutional and technical cooperation. Amanda Wheatley, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Adviser at SPREP, affirmed that

“Cooperation, coordination, and knowledge sharing are essential to advancing NBSAPs in the Pacific region” and “the collaboration between SPREP and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership will enhance support for faster implementation of biodiversity targets.”

For the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the 2025 dialogues reinforced the importance of its core approach: country-driven support for accelerated action through practical tools such as its MatchMaking Mechanism and Facilitator Programme. The main themes of the dialogues also align with analyses of support requests channeled through the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism and consistent trends identified through capacity assessments. As Ochoa noted:

Insights from these dialogues are already shaping how the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership reinforces its role in capacity development, coordination and learning, and deploys its MatchMaking Mechanism to support countries to accelerate reporting and sustained implementation toward COP-17 and beyond.

The lessons from 2025 are clear. Implementation and tangible action depend not only on ambition but also on systems and strategies grounded in data, long-term financing, inclusiveness, and regional cooperation. The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership enters the next phase of its work with these lessons firmly in hand, eager to move beyond assessment to action.

Explore the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s CBD dialogue reflections across the Caribbean, Pacific Small Island Developing States, Francophone Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific.