CBD Women's Caucus

14/11/2026

🌿 Day 11 at COP17 | 29 October 2026 · Yerevan, Armenia

Swipe to discover what we were part of: 👇
📊 Session: From Methodology to National Implementation

We engaged in this FAO-led session on Headline Indicator 22.1 — land-use change and land tenure in Indigenous territories, exploring how data, country experiences, and Global Environment Facility-9 support can strengthen national monitoring and reporting toward the 8th National Reports.

🌍 Side Event: Valuing Nature, Recognizing Rights, Advancing Mother Earth-Centric Approaches in the KMGBF and Dialogue on a Potential Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature

Organized by forNature and the of Panama, this session brought forward a vital question: how do we move from recognizing nature’s rights on paper to embedding them in global biodiversity governance

🎉 Ceremony: Women’s Hub Closure

We celebrated the closing of the Women’s Hub, a space that throughout COP17
🏆 CHM Knowledge Fair

The C*D Women’s Caucus was proud to participate in the CHM Knowledge Fair, organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a space where we were able to showcase a poster and celebrate the efforts of the C*D Women's Caucus beside parties , stakeholders, and other relevant partners in sharing biodiversity knowledge and practical experiences.

Side Event: Integrating Biodiversity and Biodiversity Finance into the Ulaanbaatar Gender and Land Investment Roadmap

At the Mongolian Delegation Pavilion, convened by Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Mongolia, National Committee on Gender Equality, and UNDP, we joined a consultation on how to integrate biodiversity outcomes and finance into this landmark roadmap connecting women herders, cooperatives, and rural women entrepreneurs with the resources they need.

🌊 Dialogue: C*D–BBNJ Gender Implementation Dialogue

The C*D Women’s Caucus co-organized this facilitated dialogue alongside Minderoo Foundation, GIZ, and Ocean Guardians, bringing together 30 invited participants from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, researchers, and funders.

13/11/2026

National Experiences Advancing Target 23 and the Gender Plan of Action: Guatemala

How can gender equality and human rights become part of the everyday management of protected areas?

At our C*D COP17 side event, Marina López Sincal, from Guatemala, shared the country's work to develop a methodological guide for integrating gender and cultural considerations into protected area management plans.

The guide aims to ensure that women's knowledge, needs and contributions, including those of Maya, Garifuna, Xinka and Mestiza women, are reflected in decisions about what to conserve, how to manage protected areas and who benefits.

She also highlighted the importance of training technical staff working on the ground, strengthening gender-responsive data and building a national network of women biodiversity managers.

A powerful reminder that human rights and biodiversity conservation cannot be treated as separate issues, and that Gender Focal Points have an important role in turning commitments into concrete institutional change.

United Nations Biodiversity Armenia

13/11/2026

🌿 Women's leadership is driving biodiversity action. Are our institutions keeping up?

At the High-Level Segment of C*D COP17, our Coordinator, Amelia Arreguín Prado, presented the C*D Women's Caucus report, bringing together the outcomes of three major events co-hosted with the Presidency and the C*D Secretariat:

💜 The Gender & Biodiversity Champions Breakfast (Oct 20)

💜 Gender Day (Oct 21)

💜 Women's Forum (Oct 27)

Together, these events brought more than 300 women leaders, policymakers and experts into discussions on women's rights, leadership and contributions to biodiversity action.

From the launch of the first Women's Biodiversity Outlook, documenting over 70 cases of women-led action, to the urgent need to accelerate Target 23 and Gender Plan of Action implementation, one message stood out: women are already delivering, but institutional support is lagging behind.

The C*D Women's Caucus continues to mobilise expertise, build partnerships and create spaces for meaningful participation. Yet, after 17 COPs, our formal accreditation and institutional recognition remain unresolved.

We are doing our part. It is time for the Convention's institutions to match this commitment with the recognition, resources and partnerships needed to sustain and strengthen women's collective leadership.

🎥 Watch the full statement

*DWomensCaucus

12/11/2026

Day 10 at *DCOP17 | Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲 | 28 October 2026

Highlights from the C*D Women’s Caucus on Day 10,Swipe to discover 👉

💧 Side event: Mainstreaming Social, Cultural and Economic Values of Protecting and Restoring Inland Water Biodiversity
Organised with Wetlands International, IUCN, Shoal, the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), Synchronicity Earth and the C*D Women’s Caucus. Speakers shared examples from Armenia, the Lower Mekong and beyond on how local knowledge, cultural connections and livelihoods can make freshwater conservation more effective. The event also launched Twice Forgotten, a new report on the traditions, identities and knowledge that are lost when freshwater fishes disappear.

🎨 Ceremony: Close the Justice Gap – Mural Reveal
C*D Women’s Caucus representatives joined GYBN as it unveiled a mural at the COP17 venue, turning a public space into a canvas for biodiversity, youth voices and collective action. The artists shared the story and message behind the work. The mural became a meeting point for youth and delegates, a reminder that young people are not only taking part in the biodiversity conversation but shaping its spaces.

🔬 Side event: Closing the Loop: Science, Research and the Future of A&R in the C*D
The Academia and Research Organisations group convened this roundtable at the Academia & Research Hub. A C*D Women’s Caucus representative joined panellists from GYBN, IIFB, IPBES, CalGBA and IUBS. They discussed the role of science and other knowledge systems in the C*D, how different constituencies can work together, and priorities for the intersessional period on the road to COP18.

🌱 Side event: Direct Financial Support to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Territories and Areas Delivered through the UNDP/GEF SGP Global ICCA Support Initiative Phase 2: KM-GBF Targets 3, 21, 22 and 23
The C*D Women’s Caucus co-hosted this event with ICCA GSI, BMUKN, the ICCA Consortium, UNDP/GEF SGP, UNEP-WCMC, IUCN, the C*D Secretariat, IIFB and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.

12/11/2026

National Experiences Advancing Target 23 and the Gender Plan of Action: Namibia

Representation does not automatically mean participation, and participation does not necessarily mean influence.

At our C*D COP17 side event, Britta Hackenberg, Gender and Biodiversity Focal Point for Namibia, reflected on the gap between strong gender equality policies and women’s actual ability to shape biodiversity decisions.

With nearly 70% of Namibia’s population depending on natural resources, she highlighted the importance of addressing practical barriers to women’s participation, from transport and digital access to unequal care responsibilities.

She also shared an exciting initiative under Namibia’s Gender Action Plan: building a network of women biodiversity champions, including female lion rangers and conservation leaders, alongside a mentorship programme to encourage the next generation of women leaders.

11/11/2026

Day 9 at COP17 Armenia| Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲 | 27 October 2026
Highlights from the C*D Women’s Caucus on Day 9, with gender Justice at the centre of discussions on finance, data and ecosystems. Swipe to discover 👉

☕ Breakfast: Women in Conservation Finance Breakfast
Hosted by Enduring Earth and Legacy Landscapes Fund, this gathering brought women leaders together to discuss putting women’s and girls’ knowledge at the heart of conservation planning and finance.
🤝 Forum: Women Forum – Taking Action for Gender-Responsive Implementation of the KMGBF
The C*D Women’s Caucus host in collaboration with , the COP17 Presidency, Minister of Environment of ՀՀ շրջակա միջավայրի նախարարություն Ministry of Environment of Armenia and the United Nations Biodiversity a full day of dialogue on gender-responsive implementation of the KMGBF. The day included a high-level dialogue on accountability from COP17 to 2030, and panels on rights, leadership and safety, gender-responsive data, and finance. It also featured the launch of the first Women’s Biodiversity Outlook 📘, and women from Armenia, Nepal, Zambia and Colombia shared how they are taking action for nature.
📊 Side event: Next-Gen Citizen Science: Showcasing Inclusive Wins, Empowering the Global South and Charting the Future of Environmental Data Co-organised by the C*D Women’s Caucus. On the inclusion panel, Caucus representatives discussed how citizen science can recognise women as contributors to biodiversity data, and what must change so the evidence they generate informs conservation policy and the GBF.
💰 Side event: Gender Equality as Accelerator: Delivering Inclusive, Effective and Durable Results for Land, Biodiversity and Climate Organised with BIOFIN - UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative, UNDP Thailand UN Women and C*D Women's Caucus. Countries and partners explored how to finance gender-responsive approaches, including Thailand’s experience with gender-responsive budgeting.
⛰️ Side event: Yerevan Platform on Mountains and Related Freshwater Ecosystems C*D Women’s Caucus representatives take part of the launch of this COP17 Presidency flagship initiative, developed in partnership with UNEP. Mountains supply most of the world’s freshwater and support the livelihoods of around 1.2 billion people.

10/11/2026

National Experiences Advancing Target 23 and the Gender Plan of Action: Comoros

From restoring mangroves in Grande Comore to protecting sea turtle nesting sites in Mohéli, women across Comoros are already contributing to biodiversity conservation.

At our C*D COP17 side event, Hamadi Zalhata, Gender and Biodiversity Focal Point for Comoros, shared how the country is integrating gender equality into national biodiversity planning while supporting women-led conservation and sustainable livelihoods.

One particularly interesting lesson: organising women-only discussions before mixed community meetings has helped women speak up and participate more confidently in decisions traditionally dominated by men.

The experience also highlights the importance of working with village leaders, linking conservation to economic opportunities, and securing resources for local women’s organisations.

10/11/2026

10/11/2026

National Experiences Advancing Target 23 and the Gender Plan of Action: Kiribati

Who knows where to find shellfish, which pandanus leaves are best for weaving, or how coastal resources are changing?

At our C*D COP17 side event, Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu, Gender and Biodiversity Focal Point for Kiribati, reminded us that women's everyday knowledge is essential to biodiversity conservation, yet too often overlooked in decision-making.

She shared how Kiribati is working to bring women from the back of traditional meeting spaces to the front, where their knowledge and experiences can directly inform national biodiversity policies and conservation efforts.

Her message was clear: Meaningful participation is not simply about including women, but ensuring their knowledge shapes decisions and their contributions are recognised.

10/11/2026

Why link biodiversity and climate? 🌍

As COP31 Türkiye gets underway in Antalya, Türkiye, Camila Cossé from The Forest Stewardship Council and member of the C*D Women’s Caucus tells us why the biodiversity and climate processes must work together.

Forests, wetlands and oceans regulate our climate. The women, girls, Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities who care for these ecosystems every day must be recognized in climate spaces, and they must benefit from climate outcomes and finance.

With the two COPs so close together this year, let’s make sure they are aligned and that they show up for women and girls everywhere.

🎥 Watch the full message.

*DCOP17 *DWomensCaucus