Three facts about the Sustainable Ocean Initiative Global Dialogue and the KMGBF

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) coordinate the SOI Global Dialogue, which was established in 2016 to enhance cooperation on the conservation and sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment around the globe. 

This fourth meeting of the SOI Global Dialogue will focus on accelerating and expanding efforts for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), known as The Biodiversity Plan. Dedicated sessions will also examine how global and regional bodies can support the implementation of the recently adopted Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

Here are three ways in which the SOI Global Dialogue is pushing for progress in the implementation of the KMGBG:

1.    Spotlighting The Biodiversity Plan 

The SOI Global Dialogue is promoting a greater uptake of the KMGBF. By virtue of their policy-shaping mandates, regional seas organizations and regional fishery bodies can support the integration of the KMGBF into regional strategies and targets as well as national policy. As it becomes a staple feature of the countries’ regional intergovernmental agenda, The Biodiversity Plan will benefit from heightened policymaker’s attention—a crucial driver of action at the national level. 

2.    Bringing a global endeavor closer to home 

The Biodiversity Plan was adopted in December 2022 as a global masterplan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The SOI Global Dialogue can help countries consider the global aims of the KMGBF through the lens of regional priorities and specificities. Serving as a forum for the exchange of best practices, the SOI Global Dialogue can support the alignment of the ocean-relevant elements of the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the targets of The Biodiversity Plan. 

3.    Stimulating cooperation

One of the principal goals of the SOI Global Dialogue is to identify opportunities to enhance cooperation and coordination among regional and global intergovernmental bodies on key issues related to biodiversity and fisheries.  These regional bodies can foster cooperation in support of The Biodiversity Plan in multiple fields: from area-based management tools and environmental impact assessments and the management and sustainable use of important fisheries, to addressing connectivity between areas within and beyond national jurisdiction and capacity-building in support of the implementation of the KMGBF and the three objectives of the CBD. 

This fourth meeting of the SOI Global Dialogue in Seoul is expected to send waves of renewed commitment to the implementation of the KMGBF, four months ahead of the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the CBD which will take place in Cali, Colombia, not far from the Pacific Ocean.