We’ve worked for 30 years in international cooperation for sustainable development. Since the mid-1990s, GeoMedia has accompanied and advised in processes on all three Rio Conventions – Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification – as well as international fora such as the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).
Grassroots-oriented projects in developing countries are as familiar to us as public-private partnerships and the (inter-)national processes such as the Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Here are some selected examples of our work:
Comparative analyses of VNRs
Since 2015, the world has been committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. To ensure and accelerate implementation, all UN member states are encouraged to conduct regular and inclusive progress – so called Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs).
In 2017 and 2018, GeoMedia supported the GIZ-managed global project „Partners for Review“ in conducting comparative analyses of all VNRs submitted to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in the respective year. You can download the reports here:
Support to implementing GBF Target 13
With the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at COP 15, CBD Parties committed to facilitating, by 2030, a significant increase in the sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources, digital sequence information on genetic resources, and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources.
GeoMedia links GBF Target 13 to sustainable development by helping to embed equity and access in biodiversity governance (social pillar), strengthen capacity and institutions (institutional pillar), and support sustainable use and livelihoods (economic & environmental pillars). Overall, we see our work as an ‚implementation bridge‘ – turning internationally agreed concepts from the CBD/GBF into practical mechanisms that advance the SDGs at the local, national and regional levels. In this, our focus has been on:
Equity, biodiversity and sustainable use as conceptual foundation
Both GBF Target 13 and the SDGs rest on the idea that genetic resource and associated traditional knowledge must be used fairly, sustainably, and inclusively – meaning that the providing people and countries should share in the benefits arising from their use. Our work on ABS, DSI and biodiversity-based value chains is about fairness, capacity, and sustainable livelihoods – all of which are core principles of sustainable development.
Key SDGs related to Target 13
GeoMedia works with a variety of partners to promote equitable biodiversity-related governance and trade in support of key SDGs, most notably:
- Benefit-sharing as income generator for indigenous peoples and local communities (SDG 1: No Poverty), with fair African-European partnerships and sustainable biotrade businesses (SDG 8: Decent Work).
- Traceable, biodiversity-friendly value chains to support sustainable resource use (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production), while conserving biodiversity, strengthening resilience (SDG 13: Climate Action), and promoting equitable use of biodiversity (SDG 15: Life on Land).
- Multi-stakeholder processes, capacity building and linking of local actors to international frameworks (SDG 17: Global Partnerships).
Conceptual mechanisms of alignment
- Institutional coherence: GeoMedia supports countries and regional bodies such as the African Union Commission in aligning ABS frameworks and biodiversity strategies with the CBD, the Nagoya Protocol and the GBF, strengthening governance for sustainable development.
- Equitable economic participation: ABS partnerships provide local communities with market access and fair benefits from biological resources, promoting inclusive growth.
- Knowledge and innovation: ABS and DSI dialogues guide responsible scientific innovation, ensuring fair returns to biodiversity providers and IPLCs, advancing SDG-linked technology sharing and innovation.
A policy paper on how ABS contributes to the SDGs, which was co-authored by GeoMedia, is available for download below. (EN, 0.5 MB)
For further information on the implementation bridge between sustainable development and GBF Target 13, please refer to our work with the ABS Initiative and BioInnovation Africa.
