Nations tackle biodiversity funding
As SBI-7 set ambition for Conference of Parties-17
By Samuel Ogunsona
The upcoming Subsidiary Body on Implementation meeting, SBI-7, is being framed as the turning point that will determine how far countries can go at COP-17 in 2026.
With less than 4 years left to meet 2030 targets, negotiators say the focus in SBI-7 will be turning scientific findings into money, policy, and action on the ground.
“SBI-7 is a critical milestone on the road to COP-17. Parties will consider a set of agenda items that have the potential to shape the global biodiversity agenda through 2030 and beyond,” said SBI-7 Chair Clarissa Souza Della Nina of Brazil.
A central item on the table is how to use the findings of the Global Review to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreial Global Biodiversity Framework.
Delegates will also confront two issues repeatedly flagged as blockers: financing and harmful subsidies.
“These include how to use the findings of the Global Review to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, address financing gaps and harmful incentives,” Della Nina said.
Beyond money, the meeting will push for biodiversity to move out of environment ministries and into core economic planning.
“Mainstream biodiversity across economic sectors and all levels of government,” she added, noting that progress will also be measured on education, protocols, and capacity-building.
“The decisions taken at SBI-7 will help define the level of ambition we can expect at COP-17 and will be instrumental in accelerating collective action for biodiversity worldwide,” Della Nina said.
Scientific bodies supporting the process underscored the link between evidence and politics ahead of the meeting.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that informational inputs and recommendations are scientifically robust, technically sound, and responsive to the needs of Parties as they prepare for COP 17.”
SBI-7 billed as the last major technical meeting before COP-17, Parties are under pressure to close gaps on finance, align national plans with the Global Biodiversity Framework, and show measurable progress by 2030.
