The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - 13th Conference of Parties (COP13) will be held in Cancun 4-17 December, 2016. An RCE side event 'Education through Multistakeholder Partnerships in implementing the Biodiversity Agenda' is planned during the first week of COP. The event is jointly organized by UNU-IAS, the Global RCE network and the UNESCO GAP programme. During the side event, case studies from various regions will demonstrate the relevance of RCE projects linked to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD.

Aichi Biodiversity Target one affirms the need for individual, institutional and societal transformation in addressing the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. This primarily depends on the appreciation of diverse values of biodiversity, ecosystem services and associated cultural diversity informed by contextualized actions.

This forms an important dimension of the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda. ESD aims at developing values, knowledge, attitudes and skills that facilitate transformation towards sustainable development while also promoting changes in educational systems. The Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Network of the United Nations University is actively engaged in promoting formal and informal educational strategies for this transformation. To date, there are 149 RCEs globally, with 60 percent of the RCEs focusing on the theme.

This side event highlights cross-sectoral, multistakeholder partnerships, good practices and pilot models that successfully engage communities in the management of local biodiversity and ecosystem services. An array of contextualized development approaches makes the RCE network a unique space for showcasing how local stakeholders can synergize actions on a shared platform. The network also portrays the relevance of a local-global learning space for concerted strategies and understanding sustainable development beyond localized geographical boundaries.

During the side event case studies from various regions would demonstrate the relevance of RCE projects especially in relation to the specific mandates of effective implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Action Program (GAP) on Education for Sustainable Development.