Who is the CBD Alliance?

The CBD Alliance is a loose network of activists and representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community based organizations (CBOs), social movements and Indigenous Peoples organizations (IPOs) advocating for improved and informed participation in Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) processes. The Alliance is open to all civil society organizations working progressively on CBD issues.

Mandate

The Alliance does not represent civil society around the CBD – nor do we speak for the diversity of civil society voices. Rather, it exists to facilitate more diverse, coordinated, and effective civil society input into CBD policy-making. The Alliance is premised on the belief that global policy-making should be a transparent and democratic undertaking, not the purview of global policy elites and Northern bureaucrats. Biodiversity policy cannot be successful if it is largely controlled from Geneva, Washington or London; if the CBD is to succeed, it desperately needs more diverse voices, especially those most impacted by the polices themselves.

Thus, the Alliance works to broaden the scope of civil society groups involved in CBD processes, particularly to increase the informed and effective participation of Southern NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, Community Based Organizations and social movements. The Alliance exists to help CSOs be more effective in their CBD-related advocacy by facilitating communication among Civil Society representatives and other organizations, Parties to the Convention, media and the CBD Secretariat – to change and ultimately improve biodiversity-related policy at international, national and community levels.

What does the CBD Alliance do?

We:

  • Facilitate general coordination and communication among civil society throughout the inter-sessional and sessional periods. This includes maintaining a list serve, posting secretariat notifications, coordinating civil society meetings at CBD sessions and fundraising for the Alliance and its’ activities. 
  • Support financially nongovernmental, Indigenous and community representatives to participate in CBD meetings through a transparent self-selection process.
  • Edit and distribute the ECO – the newsletter of civil society at CBD sessions.