The UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the first global report assessing the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, warning that despite broad national commitments, global efforts remain far from achieving the 2030 targets.
The report, 'State of Biodiversity Action,' was published in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, ahead of the 17th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP17). It analyzes overall progress under this landmark document, adopted in December 2022, which sets 23 goals to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, as well as four long-term objectives for 2050.
According to the report, nearly 90% of the 196 CBD Parties have established national biodiversity targets, about 60% have developed national strategies and action plans, and over 70% have submitted national reports. Furthermore, indigenous peoples and local communities, subnational governments, businesses, and civil society organizations have registered around 5,000 commitments.
Nevertheless, such wide participation has not yet led to sufficient progress. The report showed that none of the 23 global goals present a fully positive picture, and less than half of the national targets assessed by the Parties are on track.
Although national targets cover an average of 22 out of 23 global goals, many of them do not cover the entire necessary scope. For instance, significantly fewer countries have committed to reducing harmful subsidies in line with Goal 18 than to promoting positive incentives. Moreover, current national pledges under Goal 3 significantly fall short of the goal to conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030.
The report identified gaps in financing and other implementation mechanisms, as well as in actions at the governmental and societal levels, and in the data and knowledge required to track progress. The greatest lag is observed in goals requiring actions outside of environmental ministries, including business actions, sustainable consumption, harmful incentives, and finance.