23 October 2024, Cali, Colombia, by Marina Venâncio UNEP-WCMC
The Synergies in Action side event, held during the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity Conference 2024, brought together countries and stakeholders to explore how collaborative tools can help accelerate the implementation of global biodiversity commitments. Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Women4Biodiversity, the event highlighted the role of tools such as the Data Reporting Tool for MEAS (DaRT) and the Target Similarity Assessment (TSA) in supporting countries to align their national biodiversity targets with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The event was opened by Mr. Niklaus Wagner from Switzerland, who emphasised the importance of tools such as DaRT in promoting collaboration among multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). He praised UNEP’s long-standing commitment to maintaining these tools, which help streamline reporting for Parties facing multiple reporting obligations. Mr. Wagner also reflected on discussions at the Bern III Conference in January, where these tools were highlighted for their role in enhancing cooperation. Looking ahead, he noted DaRT’s potential to simplify reporting for the Seventh National Report to the CBD through direct integration with the Online Reporting Tool (ORT) and other MEAs.
Spotlight on DaRT and TSA
The session opened with a presentation by Ms. Jillian Campbell of the CBD Secretariat, who provided an update on the status of national biodiversity target submissions through the CBD ORT. She emphasised the need for countries to integrate reporting efforts across MEAs, and to align biodiversity, climate, and chemical convention targets.
Ms. Lea Phillips of UNDP then discussed the TSA tool, which uses artificial intelligence to help countries assess the similarity of their national targets with global biodiversity goals. Ms. Phillips highlighted that the tool has been successfully implemented in over 50 countries and provides valuable insights for policy alignment.
Mr. Yannik Friedli of UNEP explained the DaRT tool’s ability to facilitate coollaboration between national focal points and experts working across different MEAs. Mr. Friedli showed how DaRT enables countries like to map their national biodiversity strategies to global frameworks.
During an interactive Q&A session, a participant from Cambodia shared their experience using DaRT and TSA, highlighting the practical benefits of these tools in fostering collaboration between stakeholders and streamlining reporting efforts.
Gender and National Reporting
The second part of the session focused on integrating gender-responsive tools into national biodiversity reporting. Ms. Katherine Despot-Belmonte of UNEP-WCMC presented the Target Tracker, a tool designed to assist countries in monitoring their progress towards the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Ms. Despot-Belmonte also presented a new methodology for tracking the national implementation of the Gender Plan of Action (GPA), to support progress on Target 23. Ms. Tina Rai of Women4Biodiversity then briefly emphasised the importance of integrating gender in the KMGBF and noted the efforts made to ensure Target 23 was included. She invited Parties to adopt at COP16 the newly developed methodology, which had been tested and refined in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC and other stakeholders.
UNEP’s second presentation, delivered by Mr. Yannik Friedli, highlighted the interoperability of DaRT with other reporting platforms. Finally, Mr. Jean-François Moussa from Cameroon shared their experience of using DaRT to compile and streamline data for their national reports, emphasizing how the tool improves coordination between stakeholders and supports efficient management of biodiversity data.
Next Steps for National Reporting
The tools discussed at the event, including DaRT, TSA, and Target Tracker, can play a critical role in ensuring coherence across national and global biodiversity commitments. The side event concluded with a call for continued collaboration and capacity building to improve the effectiveness of biodiversity reporting. As countries prepare their seventh national report, due by 2026, the continued development and application of these tools will be key to achieving global biodiversity commitments.
