Since 2019, GeoMedia has been supporting the international negotiations on DSI with capacity development, informal dialogues and exchanges to support the formal process. Partners and donors have included the governments of Norway and South Africa, the CBD Secretariat, the EU Commission, the Netherlands and the UK, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative, and the Meridian Institute.

Selected examples of our work are:

DSI Global Dialogues & Exchanges

Initiated under the Norway & South Africa Partnership, the ‚DSI Global Dialogues‘ aim to create a safe space for CBD Parties, stakeholders, and experts to openly exchange views, understand diverse needs and concerns, and explore policy options that support fair and equitable benefit-sharing from the use of DSI. All meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule.

Based on the status of the formal negotiations at the respective point in time, the dialogues address conceptual, technical and political open questions and divergences of CDB Parties. The outcomes feed directly into the formal CBD negotiation process though information documents, side events and (virtual) briefing sessions. A brief recap of the dialogues thus far (status Jan 2026) – with links to further information:

• The first dialogue took place in Pretoria in 2019, bringing together around 65 global participants from around the globe. It produced five basic policy options and a draft list of evaluation criteria. Here’s the report (English, PDF ca. 1 MB.)
• A second dialogue, originally planned for 2020, was postponed due to the Covid pandemic and moved online. In 2021, it was held as a five-part virtual series with about 140 participants worldwide. For details, see our highlight DSI Global Virtual Dialogue 2021.
• In 2022, in-person meetings resumed in The Hague with a new structure: A two-day ‘Exchange’ for 35 DSI users, supported by the EU Commission, developed joint messages for negotiators. These were presented during a joint ‘Relay’ session with 40 negotiators, who then held a 2.5-day ‘Retreat’ to discuss the input and other key issues to help advance the formal negotiations. Reports from both events (English, PDF each less than 1 MB): 2022 Users‘ Exchange; Negotiators‘ Retreat.
• Another negotiators’ ‚Retreat‘ followed in The Hague in 2023. Building on progress made at COP 15, around 60 participants examined the practical implications of different possible multilateral benefit-sharing systems and related capacity development options. Please find the report here (English, PDF ca. 2 MB).
• In 2024, a further combined ‚Exchange‘ and ‚Retreat‘ was held in Pretoria. Participants addressed key unresolved issues identified at OEWG DSI 2, and negotiators explored possible ‘landing zones’ for a future benefit-sharing mechanism – a central topic for COP 16 in Colombia. Reports from both 2024 events (English, PDF: Users‘ Exchange (2.5 MB); Negotiators‘ Retreat (6 MB).