Regional governments launch the RegionsWithNature platform and its Case Study Database during CBD COP15 

• The platform is a unique space where regional leaders on biodiversity will share commitments, connect and learn from each other to support the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be adopted at COP15. 
• Over 14 Regions4 members are among its pioneer members and five of them are featured in the Case Study Database, the only database that gathers good practices and case studies which are dedicated to the subnational government experience.  
• Regions4 and its partners are having a stronger than ever presence at the COP15: a group of over 50 delegates from 11 regions of the world are attending. This is an unprecedented number of subnational leaders at a Biodiversity COP.  

December 12, 2022  

Regional governments continue to demonstrate their commitment to the preservation of biodiversity. 14 Regions4 members joined the RegionsWithNature (RwN) platform as pioneer members, which aims to contribute to the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be adopted at COP15. RwN was launched yesterday during the 7th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities “Taking Action for Biodiversity”, an official event of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the CBD, being held in Montreal (Canada) until December 19. The launch gathered governors and ministers and served as a space to strengthen their commitment to deliver for nature in the coming decade. 

The new RegionsWithNature platform is a partnership initiative that is co-led by Regions4 and ICLEI and supported by other leading international organizations such as the Group of Leading Subnational Governments (GoLS) and the European Committee of the Regions. The platform is an easily accessible, user-friendly and free online platform that connects regional leaders and their partners; provides them with tools and resources that build capacities by translating good practices into knowledge, such as the Case Study Database; and allows them to share regional commitments to achieving the global nature goal. 

Specifically, the Case Study Database, an initiative led by Regions4 and an instrument featured in the platform, was also presented at the 7th Summit. It is a database that gathers good practices and case studies exclusively dedicated to the subnational government experience: it collects regional success stories with the objective of building knowledge, transforming it into learnings, and making them replicable and accessible to other subnational governments with similar challenges. Designed to feed the global discussions on biodiversity, the Case Study Database is a prominent contribution to ensure the representation and the role of subnational governments in the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Each case study, available in French, English, and Spanish, provides detailed information on the project’s catalyst, the institutional framework that enables it, the key components of the project, their direct and indirect impacts and its financial sustainability, as well as successes and challenges among other key components. Five Regions4 members are featured as case studies: two from Catalonia (Spain), two from the Basque Country (Spain), one from Jalisco (Mexico), one from Quebec (Canada) and one from Lombardy (Italy). 

Some of the good practices included in the Case Study Database were presented during COP15 in order to showcase subnational governments’ important role and active efforts in delivering actions for people and for nature. It was during an event held at the Pavilion for subnational and local governments, associated to the Summit: “RegionsWithNature catalyzing biodiversity action and resources for implementation”. The event featured presentations from Quebec, Aichi and Catalonia, who shared their successful experiences in advancing the global biodiversity agenda. The event also included a high-level panel discussion on regional contributions to the implementation of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework with the participation from representatives from Lombardy, Sao Paulo State and Rio de Janeiro State.  

A historical subnational Biodiversity Summit 

The 7th Summit for Subnational Governments & Cities “Taking Action for Biodiversity”, 11 and 12 December, is an unprecedented global milestone to welcome important contributions from subnational governments and cities to the new post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It featured high-level interventions from 11 Regions4 members: Martine Biron, Minister of International Relations and la Francophonie of Québec (Canada); Benoit Charette, Minister of Environment, Fight against Climate Change, Fauna and Parks, Québec; Luis Casillas, on behalf of Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, Governor of Jalisco State (Mexico) and Vice President of Regions4 for the Americas; Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity of Scotland (United Kingdom); Fabrizio Piccarollo, Director of the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment, Lombardy (Italy); Julie James, Minister for Climate Change of Wales (United Kingdom); Rafael Andreguetto, on behalf of Carlos Massa, Governor of Paraná (Brazil); Mauricio Vila Dosal, Governor of Yucatán State (Mexico); Anna Barnadas López, Secretary for Climate Action of Catalonia (Spain); Philippe Campello, President of the Rio de Janeiro State Institute for Environment, Rio de Janeiro State, (Brazil); Sergio Graf, International Coordinator of Climate Action from the Government of Jalisco; Rodrigo Levkovicz, Executive Director of Sao Paulo Forestry Foundation (Brazil); and Iñigo Urkullu Renteria, President of the Regional Government, Basque Country (Spain) and President of Regions4.

The launch ceremony gathered 12 regional leaders, an unprecedented number at a Biodiversity COP. Additionally,  the RwN founding members that weren’t present, Campeche in Mexico; Pernambuco in Brazil; Goa in India; Western Cape Province in South Africa; Åland Island, Finland; Basque Country, La Rioja, and the Community of Madrid, Spain were celebrated. 

The subnational government’s pivotal role in achieving the CBD’s goals is increasingly being recognized worldwide thanks to leading regions which paved the way towards a more ambitious post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Although the gap is closing in terms of financial support and resource availability, central challenges remain, such as the lack of initiatives for capacity building and knowledge exchange. Regions4, in its role as Coordinator of the Advisory Committee on Subnational Governments (AC SNG) jointly with the Government of Quebec, is actively involved in channeling the voice and ambition of subnational governments into the global talks on nature. 

The outcomes of the 7th Summit will be presented formally by the hosts at the CBD COP 15 High Level Segment (15-17 December) as a united message from the subnational constituency. Regions present in Montreal (Catalonia, Jalisco, Lombardy, Scotland, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro State, Sao Paulo State, Wales, Yucatán and Québec) will continue to showcase inspiring actions for biodiversity, sharing their commitments, as well as defining their role in the implementation of the new global biodiversity framework. 

The voice of the regions  

Regions4, which brings together more than 40 regional governments from about twenty countries on four continents, with partnerships with over 200 other regional leaders and organizations, is the voice of regions in UN negotiations, European Union initiatives and discussions in the fields of climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development. It was born in 2002 during the World Summit in Johannesburg as the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD) and, in 2019, became Regions4. A delegation of 11 regional governments are currently present at CBD COP15 (Montreal, Canada). 

Link to the Case Study Database: regions4.org/csd 

For further information, please contact: 

Alba Díaz de Sarralde | Media Advisor | Gabineteseis 

adiazdesarralde@gabineteseis.es / M. +34 659 59 35 62