Convening: In 2024, IUCN continued to engage heavily in CBD processes (Subsidiary bodies meetings in May, Advisory Committees and AHTEGs, COP16). During the SB meetings in May and particularly during COP16 in Cali, IUCN - all of its constituents - hosted numerous side events (SBSTTA side events- 5 organized by IUCN; 7 in which we engaged as co-host or speakers/ SBI events- 8/ COP16 official side events organized or co-hosted by IUCN: 42; 70+ events hosted at the IUCN Unite for Nature Pavilion). All of these events convened by IUCN reflected IUCN's priorities within the agendas of those meetings and emphasized IUCN's contributions through knowledge products and tools to the advancement of the GBF. In addition, the Secretariat (CPL) organized a virtual briefing session on October 1st before the CBD COP16 with IUCN Members and constituents to run through IUCN's key positions for Cali; Parties to CBD were also invited and feedback was generally positive. It is also worth noting, IUCN's hosting of so-called "extended delegation meetings" at CBD COPs where all IUCN constituents present at the CBD meetings are invited to join the IUCN delegation meetings, strategize on common approaches and share information and enhance collaboration.
Communication/raising awareness: The Secretariat has developed numerous materials, continued to populate its dedicated CBD/ GBF webpage compiling all information about IUCN's engagement with this process - including but not limited to position papers -, has prepared and released IUCN statements and blogs before and after the CBD meetings this year, etc. The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication has also been very active - hosting the Nature Education Day at COP16, preparing and distributing relevant materials, engaging with the Secretariat on the negotiations of the Communication, Education, and Public Awareness (CEPA) agenda items during SBI and COP.
Just for CBD COP16 IUCN was featured in 2,536 media articles. The IUCN Red List Update was well received by international and regional media, performing above average compared to past Red List releases. It was covered by the New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, El Pais, CNN, The Telegraph, AFP, EFE, AP, The Press Association, Reuters, Le Monde. Further interviews were carried out on the ground in Cali with Swedish radio, ARD German Radio, Reuters, AP, AFP, Colombian Radio, RFI Radio, and France 24. Other important statistics include: There was a total of 212,642 impressions from our COP16 posts across all our corporate social media channels. The livestreams had a total of 3,221 live views. Since being published on the YouTube channel, they’ve been viewed a total of 7,606 times.
IUCN Members have also continued to be engaged in outreach activities to emphasize the need to implement the KMGBF (e.g. WWF, TNC, BirdLife and members of the Nature Positive Initiative have been actively advocating for increased ambition in the implementation of the Targets). The Nature Positive Inititiave, CI, WCS and others, continued in 2024 advocating for urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
Policy influencing: Most of the time spent by IUCN Secretariat staff in the implementation of this Resolution this year is linked to policy influencing and advocacy - development, consultation and release of IUCN position papers and technical papers/briefs to substantiate IUCN's position; continued reference to all relevant ICN Marseille Resolutions linked to the GBF; socializing IUCN's positions through presentations and panels, among others etc. All information can be found in the dedicated webpages in IUCN's website:https://iucn.org/our-work/informing-policy/international-policy/un-convention-biological-diversity-cbd. Furthermore, IUCN has sent One Programme delegations, to the subsidiary bodies meetings in May and the COP in October (75 delegates represented IUCN in Cali as part of IUCN's delegation; many more were part of national or other delegations and joined IUCN delegation meetings and/or worked together on various activities at COP). The key messages contained in Resolution 7.116 guided IUCN's policy interventions in 2024, including through statements from the floor - when possible - and during the High-Level Segment of COP.
Scientific and technical activities: In 2024, 4 IUCN Regional Offices were selected to host Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centres for the GBF. As these TSCs become operational, they'll provide IUCN with direct entry to Parties (and IUCN Members) and offer focused support to enhance implementation of the GBF.
