Review of technical and scientific cooperation programmes and initiatives under the CBD

At its third meeting, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation requested the Executive Secretary to commission a review of technical and scientific cooperation (TSC) programmes*. Some of the programmes and initiatives under the CBD involving technical and scientific cooperation include the Bio-Bridge Initiative, the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative, the Global Taxonomy Initiative, the Sustainable Oceans Initiative, the Peace and Biodiversity Dialogue Initiative, the Biosafety Capacity-Building Initiative and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Programme among others.As part of the review, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has developed this brief survey to collect inputs and feedback from Parties, non-Parties, indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, and other relevant stakeholders.

The responses to the survey will be used by a panel of experts undertaking the review, the results of which will be considered by the Conference of the Parties at its fifteenth meeting. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and should be submitted by 10 June 2022.

Thank you for participating in our survey. Your feedback is important.

*In the context of the CBD, Technical Scientific Cooperation (TSC) refers to a process whereby two or more countries or institutions pursue their individual or collective biodiversity-related goals through cooperative actions and/or exchange of scientific knowledge, expertise, data, resources, technologies and technical know-how.

Question Title

* 1. Please indicate your institutional affiliation

Party

Other government (Non-Party)

Indigenous peoples and local communities

International organization

Civil society

Women's organization

Youth

Research and academia

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. Please indicate the region you are from

Africa

Asia and the Pacific

Central and Eastern Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

Western Europe and other group

Question Title

* 3. Please indicate your country or organization (optional)

Question Title

* 4. Have you participated in any technical and scientific cooperation activities under programmes or initiatives of the CBD and its Protocols?

Yes

I do not know

Question Title

* 5. If you answered affirmatively, please share the name(s) of the initiative(s) or programme(s) you have participated in.

Question Title

* 6. How would you rate the usefulness of the technical and scientific cooperation activities you have engaged with in supporting the implementation of the CBD and its Protocols in your country?

Not useful at all

Slightly useful

Neutral

Fairly useful

Very useful

Do not know/prefer not to answer

Question Title

* 7. Kindly share an example of how the technical and scientific cooperation initiatives or activities you have been engaged in have supported implementation of the Convention and its Protocols?

Question Title

* 8. Based on your experience, what technical and scientific cooperation approaches have worked well?

Joint research programmes

Joint technology development and transfer

Joint training activities

Peer-to-peer knowledge transfer

Partnership and network building

Exchange of experts

International study tours

Do not know/prefer not to answer

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 9. Can you briefly explain why these approaches have worked well?

Question Title

* 10. What are some of the key challenges that have affected technical and scientific cooperation programmes and initiatives under the CBD and its Protocols? (Select max 5 challenges)

Inadequate level of funding

Lack of mechanism(s) to facilitate coordination

Inadequate identification and prioritization of needs requiring TSC

Lack of high-level institutional willingness and support to engage in TSC initiatives

Lack of institutional policies to facilitate TSC between countries

Bureaucratic hurdles and delays

Limited availability of technical resources and expertise in various languages

Lack of a long-term approach to cooperation

Do not know/prefer not to answer

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 11. What lessons have you learned during your involvement with technical and scientific programmes and initiatives that may be relevant for the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework?

Question Title

* 12. What would you recommend to improve and scale-up technical and scientific cooperation programmes and initiatives to support implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework?

Question Title

* 13. When selecting entities and organizations to facilitate and enhance technical and scientific cooperation in support of the the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, what top 4 criteria should be taken into consideration?

Demonstrated experience in facilitating technical and scientific cooperation

Expertise in biodiversity-related areas of work

Demonstrated ability and institutional capacity to manage multiple projects

Engagement in regional and sub-regional biodiversity-related networks and partnerships

Experience working with Parties, IPLCs and other relevant stakeholders

Geographic area where entity or organization operates (proximity to countries)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 14. To what extent do you agree with the following statement?

To achieve the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, greater investments need to be made to promote and enable technical and scientific cooperation especially for the benefit of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Strongly disagree

Somewhat disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

Do not know/prefer not to answer

Question Title

* 15. Please share any additional comments or suggestions to enhance technical and scientific cooperation in support of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework.

Thank you for your contributions