Support to Eligible Parties to Produce the Sixth National Report (6NR) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Asia)

What is this project about?

Biodiversity is currently being lost at unprecedented rates due to human activities around the globe. To address this problem, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Conference (CDB COP) of the Parties adopted a strategic plan in 2002. In its mission statement, CBD Parties committed themselves to more effective and coherent implementation of the three CBD objectives with the purpose of achieving a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level by the year 2010. These agreements became known as the 2010 Biodiversity Commitments, for which a set of targets and indicators were later established.

While the commitments did result in some understanding of the linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being, biodiversity issues were insufficiently integrated and generally not reflected into broader policies, strategies, programmes, actions and incentive structures. As a result, the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss were not significantly reduced at the global level. The diversity of genes, species and ecosystems continued to decline.

COP 10 decisions recognize that achieving positive outcomes for biodiversity requires actions at multiple entry points. The new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 reflects this perspective by including 20 headline targets for 2015 or 2020, which are referred to as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT). The decision invites parties to set their own targets within this flexible framework, taking into account national needs and priorities, while also considering how national actions contribute to the achievement of the global targets.

Parties are required to submit national reports to the COP on measures taken to implement it. The sixth National Report will focus on monitoring the effectiveness of national strategies and actions in achieving National and Aichi Biodiversity Targets and related biodiversity outcomes. The 6NR approach necessitates new thinking about how to develop a dynamic reporting framework and decision support system that builds the capacity of countries to facilitate dynamic monitoring, reporting, and decision making to ensure they can more efficiently and effectively undertake their national reporting obligations.

However, reporting places a significant burden on countries and results are generally superficial. Most parties have identified lack of financial, human and technical resources as limiting their implementation of the Convention. Particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) like Lao PDR, capacity is simply not sufficient for carrying out the assessment in a manner that meets the technical and scientific standards.

Objectives

To provide technical support to GEF-eligible Parties to the Convention on Biological -Diversity (CBD) in their work to develop a high quality, data-driven sixth national report (6NR) that improves national decision-making processes for the implementation of NBSAPs; that reports on progress towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and informs both the fifth Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO5) and the Global Biodiversity Strategy of 2021 – 2030.

Expected Outcomes

• A functional steering committee (SC) is formed in each country to prepare the 6NR, project times and methods are developed, funding is mobilized, where necessary, and training and capacity building activities are complete.
• Stakeholder owned reports for each Aichi Biodiversity Target and national equivalent are produced and compiled. Parties are requested to report on both achievement of each identified national target and on achievement of each Aichi Biodiversity Target.
• A Stakeholder owned 6^th national Report is produced and submitted to the CBD.

Project Details 

• Duration: June 2017 – May 2019
• Focus area: Environment
• Implementing partner: UNDP

Download related documents:

• Project document
• Project brief