26 October 18:15 – 19:30

Integrating Access and Benefit-Sharing into Biodiversity Finance: From Policy to Investment

COP17 Side Event and Launch of the UNDP-BIOFIN/GIZ Publication Integrating Access and Benefit-Sharing into Biodiversity Finance

Read the publication

Date: Monday, 26 October 2026

Time: 18:15–19:30

Moderator: Santiago Carrizosa, Senior Technical Advisor on ABS/DSI, UNDP

Location: Room Tatev – Subnational Group Meeting Room, Block 2, 3rd Floor

COP17 | Yerevan, Armenia

Description

Official launch of the new UNDP-BIOFIN/GIZ publication on ABS Finance. The event will present practical approaches for integrating ABS into National Biodiversity Finance Plans, showcase financing instruments supporting ABS value chains, discuss investments needed to operationalize ABS systems, and highlight country case studies. The session will promote implementation of Target 19 of the KMGBF and strengthen collaboration between ABS and biodiversity finance communities.

Objectives

The side event will:

  1. Highlight the importance of financing effective ABS systems and demonstrate how investment across the ABS value chain can help move from policy and regulatory frameworks toward implementation and equitable benefit-sharing.
  2. Show how ABS can be integrated into Biodiversity Finance Plans and broader national biodiversity finance strategies, including practical financing solutions that support implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
  3. Share practical country experiences and promote dialogue between the ABS and biodiversity-finance communities, identifying approaches that can be adapted and scaled across countries.

Agenda

Welcoming & sitting of people

18:15 – 18:20
5 min

Welcome, introduction and objectives

Santiago Carrizosa, Senior Technical Advisor, ABS/DSI – UNDP

  • Welcome participants.
  • Briefly introduce the purpose of the side event and the publication.
  • Present the objectives and format of the session.
  • Importance of ABS as part of the broader biodiversity-finance agenda.
  • Need to move from commitments and regulatory frameworks toward implementation.

18:20 – 18:25
5 min

Intro presentation by Martin Cadena, Global Manager for UNDP BIOFIN

  • Context of the publication

18:25 – 18:40
15 min

Panel (moderated by Martin Cadena)

  • Ida Hellmark, Senior advisor at Norad for Nature and Climate: The relevance of ABS implementation and the ABS Finance publication
    (Backup: Lene Lothe, Assistant director for Department of Climate, Naure and Private sector)
  • Beatriz Gomez Castro, Programme Management Officer, ABS Unit, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity: Finding of the assessment related to the Nagoya Protocal and the Global Progress Report
    (Backup: Matthew Dias, Taukondjo Shikongo)
  • Suhel Al-Janabi, ABS Capacity Development Initiative / GeoMedia: The basics of ABS Finance

Ceremonial presentation of the publication and group photograph.

Hard copies of the publication will be available for participants following the session.

18:40 – 19:00
20 min

Country experiences

For country panel (moderated by Suhel Al-Janabi):

  • Short intro of cases and their specificies (Suhel)

Country speakers:

  • Brazil: Carina Mendonça Pimenta (National Secretary for Bioeconomy) or Letícia Piancastelli Siqueira Brina or Henry Philippe Ibanez de Novion
  • India: Dr. B Balaji, IFS, Member Secretary from the National Biodiversity Authority
  • South Africa: Natalie Feltman, Department Forestry, Fisheries and Environment

Questions for the panel (related to the specific country cases)

  • What are the success factors in your specific ABS example?
  • What are the challenges in your specific ABS example?

19:00 – 19:25
25 min

Q&A moderated by Santiago

Questions & Comments from the ground on ABS, country experiences,

19:25 – 19:30
5 min

Closing remarks

Santiago Carrizosa, UNDP

More BIOFIN events at COP17

View the agenda