Mr/Madam chair, I thank you for the opportunity to address you on behalf of the African CSOs Biodiversity Alliance, known as ACBA. Africa’s successes in conserving biodiversity are arguably greatest when diverse actors harness the range of their perspectives and approaches to advance a common agenda that represents African priorities.
ACBA is a member organization consisting of more than 100 African CSOs, Youth networks, Women groups, IPLCs and individual experts involved in biodiversity conservation. ACBA members were actively engaged at CITES COP 19 and CBD COP 15 lobbying for outcomes that reflect African priorities including Sustainable Use, an approach central to livelihoods of local communities in Africa.
We note the progress made by the AU in convening CITES and CBD experts during the negotiations at the respective COPs, and now turn to focus on implementing key decisions from CITES COP19 and CBD COP15, especially the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We are delighted that you are hosting these meetings simultaneously as we believe these Conventions are complementary and we need to break down silos in their implementation. By 2030, ACBA expects that the two conventions would have enhanced sustainable development, supported the wellbeing of communities across Africa and that the continent’s biodiversity is conserved.
Building on our engagement in shaping the outcomes of these conventions, we are delighted to be here today and be part of a discourse on how to go from agreements to action. We stand ready to support AU Member States in preparing action plans, finance plans and implementing them.
For us, implementation of these global conventions is complemented by regional actions such as the Kigali Call to Action adopted at the first Africa Protected Areas Congress. The call to Action gave voice to IPLCs and Youth who presented their own declarations.
Our commitment to implementing the outcomes of the two conventions is guided by the following key principles:
Conservation needs to be driven locally. It must develop and support approaches that are inclusive and participatory so that actions are driven locally.
Non-state actors are not just at the table to be acknowledged, but as co-leaders in development and implementation. We are ready to accept accountability for clearly defined roles, provided there is adequate resourcing.
Implementation should adopt a human rights-based approach that includes protecting and respecting the rights of IPLCs to equitable benefit sharing and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
AU Member States should tap into African capacity and expertise and not always rely on international organizations.
To Successfully Implement the GBF and CITES Outcomes, African Member States must:
Recognize that Sustainable Use (SU) is a critical need for Africa's biodiversity conservation because the majority of the continent's biodiversity exists outside of protected areas.
Engage African CSOs in the refinement and domestication of IUCN OECM standards in order to ensure their acceptability and relevance to all and also help with OECM implementation and accreditation.
Build implementation from bottom up by ensuring resources are directed to local level
Ensure that monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are quantitative and qualitative and that citizen science and indigenous knowledge are included. The outcomes and processes should be evaluated for their impact on people and guided by human rights standards and principles.
In closing, this meeting is important to ensure that global decisions are implemented in a manner that is relevant to local contexts. To support the work of experts at this conference, we have prepared a technical paper that we are pleased to share as it contains recommendations in detail. We look forward to transformative outcomes from this meeting.