A virtual side event convening in the margins of the 2024 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) highlighted the role of the COMDEKS Programme (Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative) in achieving targets under the SDGs and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary, the meeting, ‘Societies in Harmony with Nature: Building sustainable and resilient communities through the implementation of the Satoyama Initiative and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity,’ aligned with the HLPF 2024 theme, ‘Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions.’

Participants discussed COMDEKS’ fourth phase – a key pillar of the Satoyama Initiative, which supports local action on conservation and sustainable management of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes. COMDEKS’ fourth phase was launched following the adoption of the GBF in 2022.

Diana Salvemini, UN Development Programme (UNDP), highlighted the role of COMDEKS in achieving biodiversity targets by promoting local action towards global solutions to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Marcos Neto, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director, stressed its role in supporting societal, political, and economic shifts needed to implement the GBF.

Kentaro Asahi, Vice-Minister of the Environment, Japan, said COMDEKS supports community-led action and knowledge dissemination. Keiji Nishizawa, President of Keidanren Nature Conservation Council (KNCC), said COMDEKS develops best practices for nature-positive actions.

Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi, Director, UN University-Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), described the Indicators of Resilience toolkit, which communities can use to assess their resilience.

Participants watched a video outlining COMDEKS’ achievements, including 400 projects in 20 countries that have restored more than 271,000 hectares of ecosystems. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), outlined contributions of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) to GBF targets, including reducing biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystems, and to SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life on land), among other Goals.

Rissa Edoo, COMDEKS Partnerships Specialist, said with financial support of JPY 1 billion from Japan’s Ministry of the Environment and KNCC, COMDEKS’ fourth phase will support projects in 15 countries through grants and knowledge management.

A community roundtable discussion on social inclusion and women’s empowerment through COMDEKS also took place. COMDEKS practitioners from Cameroon, Peru, and Türkiye reflected on challenges, solutions, long-term impacts, and next steps.

The side event was organized jointly by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, KNCC, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UNU-IAS, IGES, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), and UNDP. It took place on 17 July 2024. [ENB Coverage of Societies in Harmony with Nature]