image: During the inaugural meeting of CBD's new subsidiary body, delegates advanced the contribution of traditional knowledge to the first global report on collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement of 2022, to be reviewed at CBD's COP17, Yerevan, Armenia, 19-30 October, 2026.
Credit: CBD
Panama City-Montreal – Amid a mix of celebration and caution, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) made important progress and decisions on the operation and governance of a new Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
At the Subsidiary Body’s inaugural meeting (SB8J-1, 27–30 October, Panama City), delegates advanced important aspects of work on CBD’s Article 8j, which relates to traditional knowledge, innovations and practices.
During the meeting, delegates:
- Advanced the contribution of traditional knowledge to the first global report on collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), to be reviewed in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2026.
- Addressed foundational issues, such as the operation and governance of SB8J, including mechanisms to ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities.
- Held in-depth dialogue on strategies for mobilizing resources to ensure the availability of and access to financial resources and funding, as well as other means of implementation, including capacity-building, development and technical support for indigenous peoples and local communities.
- Advanced discussions on guidelines to implement the Article 8j work programme
Strong support was expressed for reflecting the expertise of women and youth in the work of the CBD.
The Parties’ decisions in full, here, include bracketed text for resolution at COP17 next October in Armenia.
SB8J is the first permanent body of its kind established under a Multilateral Environmental Agreement. Dedicated to elevating the role and leveraging the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities, this new Subsidiary Body was adopted in a landmark decision at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the CBD Convention (COP16) in 2024 in Cali, Colombia.
Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres, the current President of CBD’s COP16, hailed the new body as an “unprecedented step toward greater environmental democracy.”
The Minister of Environment of Panama, Juan Carlos Navarro, meanwhile, urged the body to ensure that commitments “translate into real policies, accessible funding, and visible results on the ground.”
Astrid Schomaker, CBD Executive Secretary, stressed: "This is just the beginning of the journey, but the first round of SB8J negotiations has paved the way for a fully operational body that has everything it needs to deliver on its mandate and marks a major step forward.”
Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily reports detailing negotiations: https://bit.ly/4oGtvWk
* * * * *
Post-meeting debrief, CBD Executive Secretary, transcript: https://bit.ly/4ntgZZ9, video: https://bit.ly/47PcmUF