Background

The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are critically important at the local and subnational level. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for the well-being of growing urban populations, and the decisions that cities, states and other local and subnational governments take can have major impacts on biodiversity. Thus, local and subnational governments are key actors for the achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

ICLEI, in partnership with the Secretariat of the Convention and the national and subnational hosts of the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, have been convening Global Biodiversity Summits as parallel events at CBD COPs since 2008. The Summits provide an important platform for national governments to engage with their local and subnational peers on their pivotal and increasingly recognized contribution in achieving the objectives of the Convention and its 2011-2020 Strategic Plan. Outcomes of past summits have included concrete commitments and declarations, such as the Quintana Roo Communiqué on Mainstreaming Local and Subnational Biodiversity Action, welcomed by Parties at the closing plenary of the CBD COP 13 in Cancun, Mexico, in December 2016.

The 6th Global Biodiversity Summit of Local and Subnational Governments will be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in parallel to COP 14, on 23 and 24 November 2018. The Summit will accelerate and further enable the mobilization of local and subnational governments to contribute to the achievement of the global Aichi Biodiversity Targets. It will also provide a platform for discussing the role of local and subnational governments in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Taking place in Africa, the Summit will give special attention to the challenges of urbanization in the region.