As an integral part of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, seven countries, with funding from the government of Canada, recently embarked on a journey to apply gender-transformative systems approaches to National Biodiversity Strategies and Action plans (NBSAPs). In May, delegations from Antigua & Barbuda, Costa Rica, Comoros, Eswatini, Tajikistan, Thailand and Togo gathered at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya for the first in a series of global knowledge exchange and capacity-building workshops. The workshop sessions encouraged bold actions to integrate gender equality into biodiversity strategies and actions in a systematic and sustainable way–a crucial step for reaching the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the CBD Gender Plan of Action.

Despite their vital role as environmental stewards and being disproportionately affected by biodiversity loss worldwide, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities remain significantly underrepresented in biodiversity decision-making. When these communities are fully included in biodiversity governance, and their contributions are recognized, we can accelerate progress—succeeding where previous efforts have fallen short in implementing sustainable strategies for people and the planet.

Maren Kraushaar, Special Advisor to the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, emphasized that “gender equality and biodiversity conservation are deeply interlinked.” While the integration of gender equality into biodiversity policies and actions is often acknowledged in discourse, it rarely translates into direct funding or sustained attention. Workshops like this one aim to “translate this reality into action and address the implementation gap.”

The workshop, hosted by UNEP in Nairobi, is part of a project of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership addressing this issue. The project, Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation through NBSAPs, seeks to promote systemic change for gender equality and biodiversity conservation by enhancing institutional capacity, increasing awareness and outreach to relevant stakeholders, co-creating country-led solutions, and sharing knowledge through global knowledge exchanges across the seven countries and beyond. It directly contributes to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework–particularly targets 22 and 23–and the CBD Gender Plan of Action 2023-2030.

At the sessions in Nairobi, two participants from each of the seven partner countries were joined by representatives from the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, the Secretariat of the CBD, and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB). Workshops spanning five days featured speakers and contributors from the Secretariat of the CBD, IIFB, Women4Biodiversity, and Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), a member of the CBD Women’s Caucus. These speakers led sessions on sharing challenges and approaches, building technical capacity in gender equality and systems thinking, learning from concrete examples of gender-responsive projects, and designing strategies at the national level. Inspiring project examples from the group included female forest firefighter troops, women-led restoration initiatives, training of trainers on natural product value chains, and capacity development for women in local village committees. The group shared the importance of co-creation and inclusive processes through workshops and at the national level. These processes must be continual and consistent, build trust, create strategic alliances, include Indigenous Peoples, and connect policy to local, on-the-ground realities.

The sessions equipped the 14 national representatives with tools for systemic analysis of root causes, actor mapping and action prioritisation. Partner countries left with concrete strategies to integrate gender equality into NBSAP revisions and implementation, strengthen national Gender Plans of Action and outreach and deepen engagement with Indigenous Peoples and women at the local level.

Participants visited Naretunoi Conservancy with KWCA to observe community-led conservation in action. There, they met with women leaders and learned about gender transformative processes, including women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership training, gender analysis in conservation, and inclusive governance models.

The interactive gathering proved to be a transformative experience and unique opportunity for partner countries to learn from one another, exchange with women leaders in biodiversity, and hear from representatives from Indigenous and local communities. Energized by the week, participants left eager to continue the mission in their home countries. One participant shared: “From the bottom of my heart, I’m leaving with a wealth of valuable information that will serve me for a long time, especially when it comes to implementing [gender and biodiversity actions]. Thank you very much for every single detail that made my participation in the workshop possible.”

Outcomes from the project’s knowledge-sharing and capacity-building workshops will support the partner countries, as CBD Parties, in delivering their 7th national report to the CBD on targets 22 and 23, as well as contributing to the upcoming mid-term review of the CBD Gender Plan of Action 2023-2030. A technical help desk has been established to support partner countries in their implementation, offering capacity development sessions, opportunities for technical advice, and a space for learning among partner countries.

Integrating gender equality into biodiversity policies and actions is systemic work. Championed by Canada’s feminist development policy, the project Accelerating Systemic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation through NBSAPs is a vital pathway toward achieving lasting conservation outcomes.

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