COP17: CBD Women’s Caucus calls for direct funding and greater participation in biodiversity decisions
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Women’s direct access to funding, meaningful participation in decision-making and recognition of their contributions to biodiversity conservation were among the key issues raised by the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Women’s Caucus at COP17 in Yerevan.
At a press conference held in the Blue Zone at the Meridian Expo Center during the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), Caucus representatives presented recommendations on financing, the protection of traditional knowledge and advancing gender equality in biodiversity conservation.
Ana Di Pangracio, Deputy Director of Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) and a representative of the Women’s Caucus, emphasized that the issue of financing concerns not only the volume of funds mobilized but also access to those funds, decision-making on their allocation and the ultimate beneficiaries.
“Without adequate financial resources, the commitments made by governments remain promises written on paper,” she said.
According to Di Pangracio, who is also Biodiversity Director at FARN, more predictable, adequate and sustainable public funding must be ensured for biodiversity conservation. She emphasized that developed countries must fulfill their financial commitments and that new financing mechanisms must not create an additional debt burden for developing countries, women and communities.
She said that organizations representing women, Indigenous Peoples and local communities continue to face barriers to accessing funding despite their important role in biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use. Complex procedures and short-term financing mechanisms often limit the opportunities available to local initiatives and women-led organizations.
Representatives of the Women’s Caucus called for direct, simplified, flexible and long-term access to financial resources, with women fully participating in decision-making on the governance of financial mechanisms and the allocation of resources.
They also stressed the importance of strengthening accountability mechanisms and environmental and social safeguards, emphasizing that it is necessary to assess not only the volume of funds mobilized or allocated but also their actual accessibility and impact on communities.
Cristina Eghenter, Senior Expert in Global Governance Policy at WWF International (Italy) and a member of the Women’s Caucus Board, stressed the importance of applying the whole-of-society approach in the development, implementation, monitoring and accountability of biodiversity policies.
According to Eghenter, the rights, responsibilities and roles of all stakeholders involved in biodiversity conservation efforts must be clearly recognized. She noted that the blanket term “actors other than national governments” may not adequately reflect the distinct status and contributions of different groups.
She said that the Women’s Caucus, together with representatives of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and youth, had jointly proposed using the term “major groups and other stakeholders” to ensure clearer recognition of the groups participating in these processes.
She also emphasized the need to accelerate inclusive and effective action following the global assessment, noting that the “Yerevan Pathway” could help promote a whole-of-society approach, gender equality and human rights-based approaches.
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is being held in conjunction with the 12th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP-6). COP17 marks the first global review of collective progress toward implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).