Home / Recent news / Strengthening biodiversity monitoring and reporting in Western Asia: Reflections from the CBD Subregional Dialogue in Bahrain
Strengthening biodiversity monitoring and reporting in Western Asia: Reflections from the CBD Subregional Dialogue in Bahrain
Home / Recent news / Strengthening biodiversity monitoring and reporting in Western Asia: Reflections from the CBD Subregional Dialogue in Bahrain
Strengthening biodiversity monitoring and reporting in Western Asia: Reflections from the CBD Subregional Dialogue in Bahrain
- The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership played a central role in leading the dialogue and supporting countries.
- Countries identified shared challenges, including fragmented monitoring systems, limited financing, skills gaps, and weak cross-sectoral coordination.
- Clear, practical solutions tailored to the subregional context emerged, including deeper subregional collaboration, predictable long-term financing, and more inclusive approaches that meaningfully engage all sectors of society.
From 21-23 December 2025, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership participated in the CBD Subregional Dialogue on Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting for Western Asia, held in Manama, Bahrain. The dialogue brought together government representatives and partners from across the subregion to advance shared understanding of monitoring, reporting, and review processes under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The dialogue was one of several across the globe in the past year, underscoring the commitment of countries to strengthening collaborative efforts to accelerate biodiversity action.
Gemedo Dalle Tussie, NBSAP Accelerator Partnership Programme Management Officer and Knowledge Management and Learning Lead, was delegated to lead the overall dialogue, coordinate the flow of the meeting, facilitate technical sessions, and deliver the closing reflections on the final day.
Throughout the dialogue, participants discussed enhanced planning, monitoring, reporting, and review, as guided by recent COP decisions. Presentations highlighted the multidimensional approach underpinning the Global Biodiversity Framework, including its monitoring framework, use of indicators, national target submissions, and the role of the global stocktake at COP-17—where Seventh National Reports will serve as a core input.
A dedicated session focused on preparing the Seventh National Report. It covered the report’s legal basis, structure, process, and the February 2026 deadline. Emphasis was placed on using the online reporting tool, reporting against national targets using indicators, and the critical role of timely, high-quality national reports for COP-17 and COP-19 reviews.
The dialogue also provided a platform to introduce the work of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, including its in-country Facilitator Programme and MatchMaking Mechanism. Bilateral discussions with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar explored potential membership, with follow-up steps already underway.
Participants identified common challenges across the subregion, including fragmented biodiversity monitoring systems, limited financial resources, skills shortages, weak cross-sector coordination, and insufficient inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, local communities, and the private sector. In response, countries called for practical, regional tools; stronger national data systems; blended finance access; hands-on capacity development; and participatory monitoring frameworks.
A strong theme emerging from the dialogue was the value of subregional collaboration, from shared databases and joint monitoring of transboundary ecosystems to closer alignment with UNFCCC and UNCCD processes. Countries also emphasized the need to move beyond ad-hoc, project-based support toward predictable, long-term financing for NBSAP implementation.
The outcomes of the Bahrain dialogue will inform the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s continued engagement in Western Asia and beyond, reinforcing its commitment to supporting countries with practical tools, inclusive processes, and sustained implementation support.
Explore the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s reflections from CBD dialogues across the Caribbean, Francophone Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific.
- The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership played a central role in leading the dialogue and supporting countries.
- Countries identified shared challenges, including fragmented monitoring systems, limited financing, skills gaps, and weak cross-sectoral coordination.
- Clear, practical solutions tailored to the subregional context emerged, including deeper subregional collaboration, predictable long-term financing, and more inclusive approaches that meaningfully engage all sectors of society.
From 21-23 December 2025, the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership participated in the CBD Subregional Dialogue on Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting for Western Asia, held in Manama, Bahrain. The dialogue brought together government representatives and partners from across the subregion to advance shared understanding of monitoring, reporting, and review processes under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The dialogue was one of several across the globe in the past year, underscoring the commitment of countries to strengthening collaborative efforts to accelerate biodiversity action.
Gemedo Dalle Tussie, NBSAP Accelerator Partnership Programme Management Officer and Knowledge Management and Learning Lead, was delegated to lead the overall dialogue, coordinate the flow of the meeting, facilitate technical sessions, and deliver the closing reflections on the final day.
Throughout the dialogue, participants discussed enhanced planning, monitoring, reporting, and review, as guided by recent COP decisions. Presentations highlighted the multidimensional approach underpinning the Global Biodiversity Framework, including its monitoring framework, use of indicators, national target submissions, and the role of the global stocktake at COP-17—where Seventh National Reports will serve as a core input.
A dedicated session focused on preparing the Seventh National Report. It covered the report’s legal basis, structure, process, and the February 2026 deadline. Emphasis was placed on using the online reporting tool, reporting against national targets using indicators, and the critical role of timely, high-quality national reports for COP-17 and COP-19 reviews.
The dialogue also provided a platform to introduce the work of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, including its in-country Facilitator Programme and MatchMaking Mechanism. Bilateral discussions with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar explored potential membership, with follow-up steps already underway.
Participants identified common challenges across the subregion, including fragmented biodiversity monitoring systems, limited financial resources, skills shortages, weak cross-sector coordination, and insufficient inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, local communities, and the private sector. In response, countries called for practical, regional tools; stronger national data systems; blended finance access; hands-on capacity development; and participatory monitoring frameworks.
A strong theme emerging from the dialogue was the value of subregional collaboration, from shared databases and joint monitoring of transboundary ecosystems to closer alignment with UNFCCC and UNCCD processes. Countries also emphasized the need to move beyond ad-hoc, project-based support toward predictable, long-term financing for NBSAP implementation.
The outcomes of the Bahrain dialogue will inform the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s continued engagement in Western Asia and beyond, reinforcing its commitment to supporting countries with practical tools, inclusive processes, and sustained implementation support.
Explore the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s reflections from CBD dialogues across the Caribbean, Francophone Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific.
The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is a country-led initiative that supports the implementation of NBSAPs to collectively achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is co-chaired by Colombia and Germany, supported by the governments of Germany, Norway, Canada and France, and coordinated by a Global Coordination Unit hosted by the Secretariat of the CBD, UNDP and UNEP.
The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership is a country-led initiative that supports the implementation of NBSAPs to collectively achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It is co-chaired by Colombia and Germany, supported by the governments of Germany, Norway, Canada and France, and coordinated by a Global Coordination Unit hosted by the Secretariat of the CBD, UNDP and UNEP.
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