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Post 2020 Local and Subnational Government Information Webinars #14 – Outcomes of the Edinburgh Process: What’s next for cities and regions?

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Reflecting on the Edinburgh Process and the strength of global partnerships for local and subnational action on nature
The webinar took place on July 23rd and focused on the Edinburgh Process and the strength of global partnerships for local and subnational action on nature. With the support of the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU support project, ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center holds monthly webinars to keep the local and subnational government constituency, networks, and partners up to date on key milestones and the participatory preparation process of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework on the roadmap to COP 15.


With the support of the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework – EU support project, ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center holds monthly webinars to keep the local and subnational governments (SNLGs) constituency, networks, and partners up to date on key milestones and the participatory preparation process of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework on the roadmap to COP 15.

This webinar reflected on the Edinburgh Process and the strength of global partnerships for local and subnational action on nature. Currently underway, the process comes as arguably one of the most significant opportunities for the voice of the local and subnational government constituency to be heard loudly in the lead up to COP 15.

The set of consultations – already achieved on the Zero Draft Post 2020 Biodiversity Framework and the Review of the Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity – was terminating this week with the closing of the consultation on the Draft Edinburgh Declaration.

The discussions featured the following speakers:

  • Dr. Susan Campbell – International Biodiversity Policy Manager, Scottish Government
  • Ms. Ingrid Coetzee – Senior Manager, Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions: ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center
  • Mr. Teru Kisuna – Natural Environment Division, Department of the Environment, Aichi Prefecture
  • Mr. Roby Biwer – Member of the ENVE commission at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) & Member of Bettembourg Municipal Council, Luxembourg
  • Ms. Wadzi Mandivenyi – Chief Director: Biodiversity Specialist Monitoring and Services, South African Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries

The event provided an overview of the key Edinburgh Process outcomes under preparation, namely the three Edinburgh Process Reports respectively focused on monitoring and reporting, implementation, and a broader analysis drawing on the inputs of the processes on Mainstreaming, Capacity Building and Resource Mobilization; a draft decision on a renewed Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity, and the draft Edinburgh Declaration on the high level political views of Subnational and Local Governments.

The wealth of expertise and knowledge that exist at the subnational level is still under-used. They are uniquely positioned to implement the framework going forward and this need greater emphasis. National governments must recognize the role of local and national governements and be willing to engage all across the post 2020 global biodiversity framework.” Susan Campbell, International Biodiversity Policy Manager, Scottish Government

An analysis of the key results from the local and subnational consultations showcased their strong willingness and capacity to be further involved in process and their ambition for it. Key standing priorities included a greater emphasis on vertical mainstreaming to fill in the the implementation gap, strengthened resource access and mobilization, more inclusion in biodiversity policy and strategy development, and an improvement in the monitoring framework with the inclusion of indicators that can be used at all levels. This would imply to give them a clear mandate for a dedicated stepped-up decision and renewed plan of action.

South Africa sent a strong signal towards sizing this quest presenting the inspirational model of vertical integration launched as part of the EU-SA Dialogue Facility on Catalyzing Local Governments Action for the Post-2020 global biodiversity framework. ICLEI CBC closed the webinar announcing the launch of the New Local and Subnational Advocacy for Nature Website to further engage and broaden SNLGs mobilization.

We saw that particularly in our megadiverse context, biodiversity-related decision-making is done at subnational level. Vertical integration must happen for more inclusiveness to have a participatory post 2020 biodiversity framework process.Wadzi Mandivenyi, Chief Director of the Biodiversity Specialist Monitoring and Services, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa

The Edinburgh Process outcomes will be presented across several events including the last CBD-run webinar by the end of August 2020 and a High-Level event with CBD Executive Secretary and Mayors championing biodiversity concomitant with the UN General Assembly in September 2020. They will be later more thoroughly brought to the CBD milestones COP15 roadmap events including through the presentation of the report on monitoring and reporting at SBSTTA24, and of the one on implementation at SBI-3, both scheduled to take place in November 2020 at Quebec City (Canada). The general Edinburgh report will be discussed at OEWG3, scheduled in February 2021 in Cali (Colombia).

The Edinburgh Declaration will be opened to signature by CBD parties as of September 2020.

Register now to the following ICLEI webinars by clicking on the links below: 

Watch ICLEI’s Post 2020 webinars here.

 Check ICLEI’s Local and Subnational Engagement Platform here.

These webinars help echoing and organizing the voice of local and subnational governments in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for advancing the Action Agenda for Nature and People and in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) development process.



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