Based on requests from several cities and regions, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat has announced that the deadline to register existing and new commitments on CitiesWithNature & RegionsWithNature Action Platforms to be integrated into the CBD’s tracking mechanism has been extended to 31 January 2026.

This is an important moment in the movement to conserve our planet’s biodiversity, as we look forward to the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). COP17, with its theme of “Taking action for Nature’, is an important milestone in the journey towards living in harmony with nature by 2050, as it will undertake the global review of collective progress in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

In preparation for this process, ICLEI, as the focal point for local governments of the CBD’s major group on subnational and local authorities, invited all cities to make commitments in the CitiesWithNature & RegionsWithNature Action Platforms. These platforms are officially recognized as commitment and reporting platforms for subnational governments, cities and other local authorities in CBD decision 15/12. All existing and new commitments on CitiesWithNature & RegionsWithNature Action Platforms registered ahead of the deadline will be integrated into the CBD’s tracking mechanism.

What is the global review process?

We have had requests from cities and regions wanting to know more about the global review process and what happens with the information registered on the CitiesWithNature Cities and RegionsWithNature Regions Action Platforms.

Decision 16/32 sets out the process to be followed in undertaking the global review of collective progress in the implementation of the KMGBF and clarifies that it is a Party-driven process conducted in a comprehensive, facilitative, efficient, inclusive and transparent manner, avoiding duplication of work, at all its stages, including when preparing the global report. In the spirit of the KMGBF’s whole-of- government and whole-of-society approach, specific provision is made in this decision for commitments by actors other than national Governments, including subnational governments, cities and other local authorities.

Importantly, the decision specifies that commitments made by actors other than national Governments will be shared with the relevant national focal points through an automated notification sent to Parties, to view these commitments before publication, on a non-objection basis. This means that all submissions from actors other than national Governments will be available for national focal points to review. If the relevant national focal point has not objected after a period of four weeks, the submitted commitment will be published, with the understanding that the commitment could be withdrawn from publication at any time if there is an objection.

Over the past months ICLEI Cities Biodiversity Center has been working closely with by the CBD Secretariat to ensure that commitments made by cities and regions on the CitiesWithNature Cities and RegionsWithNature Regions Action Platforms, will feed seamlessly into the CBD’s mechanism for tracking the commitments of actors other than national Governments. This is being done so that the CBD Secretariat can notify the relevant focal points of the commitments by cities and regions in their countries and thereby give effect to the provision in decision 16/32 allowing national focal points a period of four weeks to review the commitments. If no objection is received from national focal points after this period, the commitments will be counted in the global review.

The ICLEI Network is encouraged to make use of the extended deadline to add commitments, or if necessary to review and update commitments already registered on the CitiesWithNature Cities and RegionsWithNature Regions Action Platforms before 31 January 2026.

Your participation ensures that local and subnational action is recognised and integrated into the global review process. By reporting through the CitiesWithNature Cities and RegionsWithNature Regions Action Platforms Action Platforms, you can make your work count, and make a valuable contribution to the enhanced multidimensional approach to planning, monitoring, reporting and review.

If support is needed in this process, please reach out to [email protected].