Panama presented its pioneering Panama Nature Pledge during a dedicated side event held on 22 October 2025 in Panama City, as part of SBSTTA-27 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The event highlighted Panama’s leadership in integrating commitments under the three Rio Conventions, biodiversity, climate change, and land degradation, into one coherent national framework.

Organized by the Ministry of Environment of Panama and the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the session was designed to share the country’s vision for aligning its updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) with its NDC 3.0 and LDN 2.0 targets. The discussion emphasized how this integrated approach enhances policy coherence, strengthens implementation pathways, and opens new opportunities for resource mobilization. The event was moderated by the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s in-country facilitator for Panama, Gonzalo Griebenow, who also supported the overall design, coordination, and run-of-show of the session.

• Asad Naqvi, Director, Implementation Support Division, CBD Secretariat, commended Panama’s leadership and emphasized the importance of integrated approaches for delivering the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Juan Carlos Monterrey, National Climate Change Director, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Environment, reaffirmed Panama’s commitment to advancing transformative action through the Nature Pledge, supported by the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership.

• Juan Carlos Monterrey presented The Panama Nature Pledge, underscoring its role as a unifying blueprint for biodiversity, climate, and land agendas.
• Katherine Madden (IGCU) introduced the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, highlighting Panama’s early engagement, the Facilitator Programme, and the country’s first proposal under the Matchmaking Mechanism.
• Debbra Cisneros (Ministry of Environment) presented the Panama Natural Fund, an emerging financing instrument aligned with the Pledge.
• Doreen Robinson, Deputy Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division, discussed UNEP’s support to Panama in aligning its NBSAP with the GBF and mainstreaming biodiversity across sectors.

The session concluded with an interactive Q&A, followed by closing reflections reinforcing the importance of partnerships, resource mobilization, and the catalytic role of the NBSAP Accelerator in driving implementation.

The side event formed part of Panama’s effort to showcase the Nature Pledge as a global reference for integrated environmental action and to strengthen collaboration with international partners ahead of COP30. The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership continues to support Panama through embedded facilitation, technical guidance, and matchmaking for resource mobilization.

Learn more about Panama and the progress of other country members on our Recent News page. Curious about the Facilitator Programme? Learn more about its critical role in accelerating NBSAPs here.