Target 23: Gender equality

Generated: 2026-04-19T20:28:33Z

Landscape

Of 69 NBSAPs with Target 23 content, 35 explicitly address gender equality in biodiversity implementation, 22 reference gender within broader inclusive-participation language without a dedicated mechanism, and 12 register no Target 23 content at all. The explicit group spans three architectural patterns: standalone national gender-biodiversity targets that mirror KMGBF Target 23 language (BR, CD, CG, GB, LB, SD, SN, VU); gender folded into combined participation targets jointly serving Targets 22 and 23 (CL V.39, LS NT19, YE NT19, SV NT10, CO); and gender addressed through pre-existing national gender machinery applied to biodiversity (CA's Gender-Based Analysis Plus, ES's Recovery Plan, SE's Sida rights-based approach). A further cluster builds dedicated Gender Action Plans as NBSAP annexes or programmes (BJ, CM, EG, GQ, LS, NA, SD, VU), with costed budget lines attached in several cases. Twelve NBSAPs — predominantly Central and Northern European (AT, BE, BY, CH, CZ, DE, HU, LU, MT, NO, SI) plus CI — contain no identified Target 23 content, and Afghanistan states "Afghanistan will not address Target 23", marking all Annex 1 fields as "None".

Variation

Approaches vary across several dimensions. On architectural placement, some countries create a standalone gender target (Brazil, DRC, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Lebanon, Sudan, Senegal, Vanuatu), while others fold gender into combined participation targets (Chile V.39, Lesotho NT19, Yemen NT19, El Salvador NT10) or treat it as a cross-cutting principle without a dedicated target (Panama, Paraguay, Rwanda, Sweden).

Scope of groups covered ranges from women and girls alone (GB, BT, ES) to women plus youth (CD, GA, LY, TG, TD), to women, youth and persons with disabilities (ID, YE, TH), to Brazil's inclusion of "LGBTQIAPN+ people" alongside women and girls.

On quantification, several NBSAPs set explicit numerical thresholds while others commit qualitatively. Cameroon sets a baseline of approximately 15–20% women in biodiversity, natural-resource and land-management decision-making posts with a target of 35–40%, and commits to moving from 80–120 to 600–800 women trained and mentored for decision-making roles. Gabon identifies a single strategic action — adopting a text guaranteeing the involvement of women in decision-making committees — with an indicator of at least 30% women on the committee. Sudan identifies 42 priority actions across 16 national targets where gender aspects apply, with tiered participation targets of 50% women among local community participants, 40% of training participants, 30% in expert and leadership roles, and 20% in some technical contexts. Chad sets a 30% target for positions in national and local institutions. Bhutan, the UK, Yemen and Lesotho commit qualitatively without numerical thresholds.

On financing, Madagascar, the DRC, Lebanon, Sudan and Vanuatu attach costed budget lines. Lebanon individually costs its three gender actions at US$50,000 (NA 26.1, integrating biodiversity into national gender strategies), US$100,000 (NA 26.2, cooperatives) and US$200,000 (NA 26.3, baseline gender analysis). Vanuatu allocates VUV 21,000,000 across five Target 23 activities, including a Gender and Biodiversity Monitoring Framework with a composite indicator (representation, engagement, integration, capacity) tracked annually from 2026. Sudan reports US$20,000 secured for development of a national gender plan of action for biodiversity. Canada applies its Feminist International Assistance Policy formula — 15% of bilateral international assistance specifically targeting gender equality and 80% integrating gender equality objectives — to biodiversity investments including the $1B Climate Finance Envelope.

Existing policy anchors cited across the corpus include the CBD Gender Plan of Action 2023–2030 (BJ, CA, LS, MH, NA), national gender policies (BT 2020, CM 2024, LS 2018–2030, LB 2022–2030, MG PANAGED, SR 2021–2035, VU 2020–2030), and CEDAW (BR, CL). Land-rights language appears in Brazil, the DRC, the Republic of Congo, the UK, Lebanon, Namibia, Sudan and Senegal, and is absent from Japan, Spain and Sweden.

Standouts

Brazil's National Target 23 commits by 2030 to "gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP through an intergenerational, intersectional and gender-sensitive approach, so that all women and girls, as well as LGBTQIAPN+ people, have equal opportunities and capacities to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the recognition of their equal rights and access to land, territories, aquatic territories, natural and cultural goods and resources, and financial resources," and to "pay equity across bioeconomy value chains."

Japan sets, under Priority sub-measure 5-3-5, "the percentage of women members in government-related advisory bodies dealing with biodiversity (22% current → 40% target) and the percentage of women in management posts in MOE (12.3% current → 30% target)."

Madagascar attaches "estimated financial needs of USD 14,634,046 (18.13% of Programme 3, the second-largest Programme 3 line)" to Target 23, with "promotion of gender in decision-making and biodiversity planning (USD 11,769,470 — the dominant component)."

Senegal's diagnosis reports that "women carry nearly 60% of forest restoration efforts but have access to less than 8% of land rights, which the NBSAP identifies as a factor limiting the impact of their commitment."

Analysis

Target 23 content divides along a geographic fault line: nearly all sub-Saharan African and Latin American NBSAPs addressed produce explicit national targets with actions and indicators, while most Central and Northern European NBSAPs register no Target 23 content or handle the matter through general equality legislation rather than biodiversity-specific measures.

Where quantified commitments appear, they cluster around two levers: representation thresholds in governance bodies (typically in the 30–40% range) and capacity-building throughput (numbers of women trained). Commitments on women's land and tenure rights appear frequently in target text but are rarely accompanied by numerical indicators.

A distinct subset attaches costed budget lines to gender work, which is uncommon for cross-cutting targets; the magnitudes span three orders of magnitude, from Sudan's US$20,000 to Madagascar's USD 14.6 million.

The framing of "who counts" expands beyond women and girls in several NBSAPs to include youth, persons with disabilities, vulnerable groups and — in Brazil — LGBTQIAPN+ people, extending the target's scope beyond the KMGBF textual framing. Afghanistan is the sole country in the corpus that states "Afghanistan will not address Target 23."

Per-country detail

Ordered by classification (explicitly_addresses → relevant_to → not_identified) then alphabetically by country name.

Country	National Target	Summary
Benin		Gender equality is integrated into the NBSAP as a cross-cutting requirement, drawing on the CBD Gender Plan of Action (2023-2030). The lessons learned from previous NBSAPs note that the CBD Gender Plan explicitly calls for supporting the participation of women's organisations and gender experts, and for strengthening the production and use of sex-disaggregated data (§12). The cross-cutting needs section states that the NBSAP must provide for specific competencies: disaggregated social data collection, inclusive facilitation, conflict prevention/management, and local accountability, in compliance with CBD Decision 15/11 (§100). Training Block 5 addresses gender-biodiversity indicators and the integration of gender expertise into technical bodies (§106). The social safeguards specify that participation of women and young people must not be limited to workshops but must be visible in governing bodies, benefits, jobs, and training, with disaggregated data where relevant (§135). The monitoring framework includes the national implementation indicator for the Gender Action Plan (2023-2030) as a component indicator, and binary indicators on national funding targeting gender equality objectives within biodiversity activities, private funding targeting women and young people, and mobilisation of private funds for indigenous peoples and local communities, women, and young people. The indicators also track the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments (§127, §130).
Brazil	Ensure and promote, by 2030: (i) gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP through an intergenerational, intersectional and gender-sensitive approach, so that all women and girls, as well as LGBTQIAPN+ people, have equal opportunities and capacities to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the recognition of their equal rights and access to land, territories, aquatic territories, natural and cultural goods and resources, and financial resources; (ii) their full, equitable, meaningful, informed and qualified participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policymaking and decision-making related to biodiversity and sociobiodiversity; and (iii) pay equity across bioeconomy value chains.	The NBSAP establishes National Target 23, committing to ensure and promote by 2030 three dimensions of gender equality: (i) gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP through an intergenerational, intersectional, and gender-sensitive approach, so that all women and girls and LGBTQIAPN+ people have equal opportunities and capacities to contribute to the three CBD objectives, including equal rights and access to land, territories, aquatic territories, natural and cultural goods and resources, and financial resources; (ii) full, equitable, meaningful, informed, and qualified participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policymaking, and decision-making related to biodiversity and sociobiodiversity; and (iii) pay equity across bioeconomy value chains. The Key Terms table elaborates that women are often important custodians of biodiversity and, when they have secure land tenure, are more likely to engage in sustainable land-use practices. It notes that opportunities for effective biodiversity action are missed due to insufficient involvement of women, and that achieving gender equality may require changes in laws, policies, and cultural norms related to land registration, ownership rules, and agricultural practices. Synergies are identified with CEDAW and SDGs 5.1, 5.5, and 5.c.
Bhutan	By 2030, ensure gender equality and gender-responsive approach in biodiversity actions	Bhutan's National Target 15 states: "By 2030, ensure gender equality and gender-responsive approach in biodiversity actions," aligned with KMGBF Target 23. The rationale reports that women make up 73.6% of the rural workforce and 52.5% of the agricultural workforce, contributing significantly through traditional knowledge and sustainable practices. The NBSAP notes that women remain underrepresented in biodiversity decision-making and that biodiversity loss disproportionately impacts women and vulnerable groups, especially in rural areas. Most environmental policies still lack explicit gender integration, identified as a gap in the fourth NBSAP review. The National Gender Equality Policy 2020 reaffirms the government's commitment to substantive equality through gender-responsive policies, plans, and programs. One strategy with four actions is identified: conducting gender analysis in biodiversity conservation programs, developing gender and biodiversity action plans, implementing those plans, and assessing the implementation. Capacity-building interventions include gender mainstreaming into biodiversity conservation. The NBSAP's acknowledgement section notes that the plan aims to be "people-centred, gender-responsive, and grounded in local realities."
Canada		Canada's NBSAP addresses Target 23 through an intersectional gender-responsive approach anchored in existing legal and policy instruments: the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act, and Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Plus. The 2030 Strategy has undergone a GBA Plus analysis to identify potential impacts on different groups, and ECCC is continuing to evaluate and enhance the application of GBA Plus in biodiversity decision making. Under Chapter 5 of the 2022-2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy ('Promote Canadian Women's Participation in the Environmental and Clean Technology Sector') and SDG Goal 5, ECCC champions gender equality in participation and decision making, including disaggregating data on women, girls, and gender-diverse people in environmental sectors and biodiversity conservation. The Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), led by GAC, commits the federal government to having 15% of bilateral international assistance programming specifically targeting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, with a further 80% integrating gender equality objectives — applied to biodiversity investments including the $1B Climate Finance Envelope for NBS projects. Canada's $350M International Biodiversity Program and its $200M contribution to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund will support developing countries in implementing the KMGBF in a gender-responsive manner. Additional tools include the Gender Results Framework (WAGE), the Quality of Life Framework (TBS), the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report, the federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (WAGE), and the UN Declaration Act Action Plan (2023-2028). The federal government commits to continue facilitating adoption of the CBD Gender Plan of Action nationally and internationally, to strengthen and align existing federal approaches to gender-responsive and gender-transformative strategies, to identify indicators to measure diversity and inclusion in biodiversity decision-making processes, to review biodiversity data collection methodologies for intersectional disaggregation, and to enhance GBA Plus application with focus on intersectionality.
Democratic Republic of the Congo	By 2030, gender equality is ensured in the implementation of biodiversity policies through gender-responsive approaches, enabling women and young people to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities to contribute to the objectives of this strategy, including equal rights and equitable access to land and natural resources, and promoting their full, equitable and informed participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making and action.	Objective 23 commits the DRC to ensuring gender equality in the implementation of biodiversity policies by 2030, through gender-responsive approaches enabling women and young people to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities. The objective covers equal rights and equitable access to land and natural resources, and full, equitable and informed participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making and action. The estimated budget is USD 7 million.
Republic of the Congo	Target 25/23: By 2030, at the latest, ensure gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP (SPANB), by enabling all women and girls to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities to contribute to the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention, notably by recognising the equality of their rights and their access to land and natural resources, as well as by promoting their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, participation, policy-making and decision-making relating to biodiversity.	National Target 25/23 commits by 2030 to ensure gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP by enabling all women and girls to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities to contribute to the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention, notably by recognising the equality of their rights and their access to land and natural resources, and by promoting their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy-making and decision-making on biodiversity. Result A5O25R25 sets out two actions: involvement of women, girls, and young people from all vulnerable groups in the implementation of the Convention (A5O25R25.1); and capacity building of local communities and indigenous peoples in the management and protection of knowledge, innovations and traditional practices of interest for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, as well as their sustainable customary use (A5O25R25.2). Indicators include the availability of a legal framework (including customary law) that guarantees to women, girls, young people and all vulnerable groups the equality of rights relating to land ownership and/or land control; the percentage of positions in national and local institutions — legislative bodies, civil service and judiciary — relative to the national distribution, by sex, age, situation or category including persons living with disabilities; the proportion of the total agricultural population holding property rights or secured rights over agricultural land by sex and by type of land tenure; and the number of terms of reference, attendance lists, reports and group photographs from workshops and meetings related to the implementation of the Convention. Responsible bodies include the ministries responsible for the environment, forests, small and medium-sized enterprises, promotion of indigenous peoples, agriculture, land affairs and the public domain, women, scientific research, youth, education, along with INS and the Ministry of the Interior.
Chile	V.39: By 2030, participation mechanisms with a gender perspective and consideration of indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation instruments and the sustainable use of biodiversity will have been diagnosed, implemented and reported where relevant, and parity in access to decision-making roles will have been ensured	The NBSAP addresses gender equality primarily through national target V.39, which requires that by 2030 participation mechanisms incorporate a gender perspective, with parity in access to decision-making roles ensured. The gap analysis identifies Target 23 as one of the targets that lacked a national target in the previous NBS and notes that gender was the least aligned area. A guiding principle references women, boys, girls, and young people, and the mission statement incorporates a gender approach. The Objective V alignment figure explicitly maps to KMGBF Target 23 on ensuring gender equality and a gender-responsive approach. Linked instruments are extensive: the Gender Action Plan 2015-2020 of the CBD, CEDAW, the 4th National Plan for Equality, the Gender Equality Strategy INDESPA, the Checklist for gender approach in climate change instruments, and the NDC.
Cameroon	Mainstream gender in the processes of revision and implementation of the NBSAP, notably by promoting the participation of women and girls in decision-making processes and facilitating their access to natural resources and land ownership.	The NBSAP includes a dedicated Gender Action Plan and a corresponding national objective (Objective 23) with specific activities and indicators in the action plan tables. The Gender Action Plan aims to ensure the effective integration of gender equality across all NBSAP III implementation actions. It recognises the differentiated roles of women and men in the use of natural resources and ecosystem management, as well as the specific knowledge held by women, particularly in the areas of non-timber forest products, medicinal plants, agro-biodiversity and the transmission of traditional knowledge and know-how. The plan is structured around three axes: (i) strengthening women's participation in biodiversity governance bodies; (ii) integrating gender-sensitive indicators into the monitoring and evaluation system; and (iii) improving women's access to economic opportunities arising from biodiversity. A Gender and Environment Action Plan (MINPROFF, 2024) is listed among complementary reference documents. Objective 23 calls for mainstreaming gender in the processes of revision and implementation of the NBSAP, notably by promoting the participation of women and girls in decision-making processes and facilitating their access to natural resources and land ownership. The objective indicators include the percentage of seats held by women in national and local governance bodies relating to biodiversity and natural resource management. Action 23.1 promotes equal opportunities and facilitation of women's and girls' access to decision-making processes, natural resources and land ownership. Activity 23.1.1 requires advocacy for strengthening protection measures against discrimination and gender-based violence in the context of access to land and natural resources. The baseline estimates approximately 15% to 20% of decision-making or representation posts related to biodiversity, natural resources and land management are held by women, with a target of 35% to 40% of women in biodiversity-relevant governance bodies. Monitoring uses sex-disaggregated data from governance membership lists, EIS registers, and KAP surveys. Activity 23.1.2 establishes capacity-building programmes and training for women leaders in natural resource management. The baseline is approximately 80 to 120 women trained and/or mentored for decision-making roles, with a target of 600 to 800 women trained and mentored, with a focus on effective access to decision-making bodies. MINEPDED, MINPROFF, universities, and NGOs (including UN Women and FAO) are identified as responsible institutions. The BES-Net II programme conducted a study on the role of women in biodiversity conservation and management (2023), and UN Women's report on Mainstreaming Gender in Biodiversity and Climate Policy in Africa (2023) is listed among reference sources. The implementation mechanisms chapter references gender integration as a recognised monitoring-evaluation principle.
Colombia		Gender equality is addressed through the differential pathway of the Action Plan for women, youth and environmental civil society organisations, under which actions were prioritised for KMGBF Targets 22 and 23. Existing indicator coverage includes: titling and forms of access to land under the National Land Agency (Agencia Nacional de Tierras), reported and available through public information systems; indicators on the roles women have in the countryside; indicators on women's enterprises based on environmental sustainability; monitoring of the women and environment action plan; and progress in formulating the intercultural training plan, reported by the agricultural sector. Conpes 4050 indicator on technical assistance to youth-led productive initiatives in green businesses meeting at least 51% of green-business criteria is cross-referenced. The industrial-sector incentives study (commerce, food and beverages, pulp, paper and cardboard, and chemicals) explicitly integrates a gender perspective, including in the identification of incentives, in the evaluation of implementation impacts, in the formulation of positive incentives and in the roadmap for implementation. The Special Advisory Committee of the proposed CICCyB includes Women and Youth community representatives. Caribbean and Insular regional recommendations under National Target 6 call for differentiated procedures allowing community and ethnic groups to access financing with a gender and intergenerational approach.
Egypt		The NBSAP identifies gender equality and women's empowerment as core elements of implementation. The Biodiversity Financing Plan commits to promoting equality and women's empowerment as key elements in biodiversity conservation. Nature-reserve measures require the inclusion of women alongside men and youth in reserve management and decision-making, with sustainable economic alternatives provided. The nature-reserve programme's recent-trends list explicitly flags "Methodologies for women's empowerment in conservation work." Monitoring and evaluation provisions state that the success of local-community and women's participation in natural-resource management must be regularly evaluated through surveys, follow-ups, and periodic reports. Annex 4 reproduces KMGBF Target 23 — gender-responsive implementation, equal rights, equal access to land and natural resources, and full, equitable, and meaningful participation and leadership at all levels of biodiversity-related decision-making — and lists "Ensuring greater gender equality and the empowerment of women" among Enabling Conditions for implementation. The NBSAP's cross-cutting indicator set includes gender equality as one of the consolidated indicator groups. The briefing does not, however, specify a dedicated gender action plan or quantified gender indicators.
Spain		The NBSAP incorporates the gender perspective in several areas. Within the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2021–2030, progress is to be made in analysing gender differences in the use, management, and sustainable enjoyment of natural resources, covering access to information and training, risk perception, environmental behaviours and lifestyles, and differentiated impacts of biodiversity changes. Specific indicators are to be developed to track gender inequality evolution in this field and to ensure that adaptation measures are developed with a gender perspective. In financing, the gender perspective is to be incorporated into resources allocated to awareness-raising, training, research, employability, and entrepreneurship across fields related to biodiversity and forest management, under Component 4 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. This aims to account for differing needs, interests, behaviours, knowledge, opportunities, and resources that women and men bring to natural resource management. For green employment, specific support is to be provided for green entrepreneurship by women, with particular interest in women in rural areas, through awareness-raising, advisory services, capacity-building, skills training, mentoring, programmes, and grants.
Gabon	Ensure gender equality and a gender-sensitive approach to action for biodiversity	Gabon's National Target 23 commits to ensuring gender equality and a gender-sensitive approach to action for biodiversity. The strategic action is to adopt a text that guarantees the involvement of women in decision-making committees. The key indicator is at least 30% of women on the committee. MEEC is the responsible stakeholder. The guiding principle on inclusive participation explicitly mentions women alongside local communities and young people as groups whose participation in biodiversity conservation, benefit-sharing, and all stages of planning and implementation must be guaranteed.
United Kingdom	The UK will ensure gender equality in the implementation of the Framework through a gender-responsive approach, where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognising their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision making related to biodiversity.	The NBSAP sets UK target 23, committing to ensure gender equality in the implementation of the GBF through a gender-responsive approach. The target specifies that all women and girls should have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognising their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making related to biodiversity.
Equatorial Guinea	By 2030, strengthen the leadership of women and girls, guaranteeing their full, effective and gender-responsive participation at all levels of decision-making and public policy formulation, for the benefit of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.	National Target 21 of the ENPADIB directly addresses global Target 23 by committing, by 2030, to strengthen the leadership of women and girls, guaranteeing their full, effective and gender-responsive participation at all levels of decision-making and public policy formulation for the benefit of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. National Target 22 explicitly lists global Target 23 among its linked global targets and commits to mainstream the gender perspective and youth inclusion in public policies, regulatory frameworks and environmental governance mechanisms. Monitoring indicators include the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments, a national indicator of implementation of the Gender Action Plan, and the percentage of positions in national and local institutions (legislative, public administration and judiciary) disaggregated by sex, age, disability and population groups. Implementation conditions include institutional, regulatory and capacity strengthening, integration of local and traditional knowledge in public policies, and creation of coordination platforms led by women and young people. The ENPADIB contains a dedicated Gender Action Plan. Alignment is rated MEDIUM.
India	Ensure gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP, SBSAPs and LBSAPs through a gender-responsive approach, where all women and girls, and all genders have equal opportunity and capacity in decision-making and implementation related to biodiversity.	India's NBSAP commits to ensuring gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP, SBSAPs, and LBSAPs through a gender-responsive approach, where all women and girls, and all genders have equal opportunity and capacity in decision-making and implementation related to biodiversity. The headline indicator references the number of countries with legal, administrative, or policy frameworks to ensure women's equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including through the Gender Plan of Action (23.b), with component indicators on the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments, and indicators from the national implementation of the Gender Plan of Action. Five national indicators are tracked: trends in budget allocation for gender-responsive schemes linked to biodiversity (23.1); trends in training of women members of Biodiversity Management Committees (23.2); trends in women self-help groups dealing with bioresources for economic and social empowerment (23.3); trends in representation of women in decision-making at various levels including Panchayati Raj Institutions, local governance, districts, and state (23.4); and Gender Plan of Action for biodiversity conservation in all sectors (23.5). Lead agencies include Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, National Commission for Women, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards, and National/State Institutes of Rural Development.
Iran	Ensure equitable participation of women and girls in the framework, recognizing their access to land and natural resources, and their participation in action, policy, and decision-making related to biodiversity, in accordance with IR Iran legislation.	NT-23 commits to ensuring equitable participation of women and girls in the framework, recognising their access to land and natural resources and their participation in action, policy, and decision-making related to biodiversity, in accordance with Iranian legislation. Two actions are listed (one incomplete). The specified action calls for recruiting education survivors with a priority in elementary schools, developing a flexible curriculum approved by the Supreme Council of Education, supporting boarding schools and central village schools, and providing textbooks, meals, support packages, and educational resources for students, particularly girls, according to the 7th Five-Year Development Plan. NT-8's climate actions separately address the specific vulnerabilities of women and girls in pastoralist, rural, and agricultural communities, calling for targeted support to empower women in climate adaptation efforts, recognising their key roles in managing natural resources and sustaining livelihoods.
Japan — National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2023–2030	Sub-measure 5-3-5 (Priority): Promoting participation by women in decision-making processes.	Sub-measure 5-3-5 (designated Priority) addresses gender in biodiversity decision-making. The government will increase the ratio of women participating in biodiversity-related meetings to integrate opinions from a broad range of stakeholders. It will also consider modalities and methods of participation to make it easier for various entities to take part in decision-making processes. Two indicators are set: the percentage of women members in government-related advisory bodies dealing with biodiversity (22% current → 40% target) and the percentage of women in management posts in MOE (12.3% current → 30% target).
Lebanon	NT 26: Ensure gender equity in the implementation of the Framework through a gender-responsive approach, where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention. This includes recognizing their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful, and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making related to biodiversity.	The NBSAP dedicates a stand-alone Chapter 6.6 on Gender Mainstreaming that sets out Lebanon's constitutional and policy context (Law 720/1998 establishing the National Commission for Lebanese Women; the National Strategy for Women in Lebanon 2022–2030), the gender gaps identified (Lebanon's 2021 female HDI of 0.650 versus 0.737 for males, GDI of 0.882, 132nd out of 146 countries in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index, 5 of 24 ministers women in the February 2025 government, 10.37% of municipal council seats held by women in 2025, 2.42% of mukhtar positions), and the specific gaps for biodiversity governance (national and local environmental committees such as the Lebanese National Environmental Council, Higher Hunting Council and Nature Reserve Committees do not ensure equitable gender-responsive representation; sectoral policies and master plans do not specifically include women and girls). National Target 26 commits Lebanon to ensure gender equity in the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework through a gender-responsive approach where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including equal rights and access to land and natural resources and full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making. Progress is tracked through Headline Indicator 23.b (biodiversity in gender strategy). National Actions commit to integrating environmental concerns including biodiversity into national gender strategies (NA 26.1, 2026–2027, US$50,000); working with cooperatives including women-led cooperatives to direct and encourage women to diversify biodiversity-based activities through awareness, capacity-building and financial support (NA 26.2, 2026–2028, US$100,000, tracked by growth in number of women in biodiversity projects); and conducting a baseline study on gender contextual analysis in the biodiversity sector (NA 26.3, 2026–2027, US$200,000).
Lesotho	By 2030, Lesotho shall ensure gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP through gender responsive approach where all have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to biodiversity programmes, particularly women, girls and marginalised groups	Lesotho's National Target 19 commits to ensuring gender equality in NBSAP implementation through a gender-responsive approach by 2030, where all have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to biodiversity programmes, particularly women, girls and marginalised groups. The NBSAP III has developed a standalone Gender Action Plan (GAP) aligned with the KM-GBF Gender Action Plan 2022-2030 and national documents including the National Gender and Development Policy 2018-2030 (Annex 6). The Foreword states that the Strategy embeds the principles of full integration of gender equality and social inclusion into the heart of its actions. The Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development (MGYSD) is listed as a supporting institution across multiple action plans. The NBSAP Steering Committee includes representatives from MGYSD's Department of Gender and Department of Youth. Youth and Women-led Groups are named as supporting institutions in virtually every strategic initiative across the NBSAP.
Libya	By 2030, ensure equitable and effective participation in biodiversity decision-making by communities and the most vulnerable, as well as women, girls and youth.	The NBSAP addresses gender equality through national Target 20, which specifically commits to women's meaningful participation and leadership in biodiversity decision-making, gender-specific guidelines for biodiversity conservation and benefit-sharing, capacity-building programmes for women to develop technical skills and income-generating activities, and coordination mechanisms between women's organisations and environment ministries. The target's framing explicitly names women and girls alongside youth and vulnerable communities. The agriculture section provides context, noting that an estimated 30% of the total labour force is women, rising to 70% in rural areas, and that youth and women in the agriculture sector need opportunities beyond local production of traditional goods. Capacity-building in agriculture is identified as requiring women's inclusion in skills development, knowledge building, and career development opportunities.
Madagascar	By 2030, biodiversity actions integrate a gender-sensitive approach.	The NBSAP commits that by 2030, biodiversity actions integrate a gender-sensitive approach. Madagascar has already established national policies and programmes including PANAGED (Plan d'Action National Genre et Développement) to promote gender equality. The target implements nine actions around three strategic axes, with estimated financial needs of USD 14,634,046 (18.13% of Programme 3, the second-largest Programme 3 line), allocated as: sound understanding of gender and vulnerabilities in biodiversity conservation (USD 2,545,859); integration of gender into legal frameworks, policies and strategies relating to biodiversity (USD 318,717); and promotion of gender in decision-making and biodiversity planning (USD 11,769,470 — the dominant component). The first cost category ensures collection and analysis of data on gender and vulnerabilities, capitalises on good practices, and raises awareness and provides training on gender integration in biodiversity conservation to enable inclusive actions adapted to the specific needs of vulnerable groups. The second category reviews and updates legal, policy and strategic frameworks to integrate the gender approach, designs reference materials and dissemination tools. The third category ensures effective participation of women in biodiversity governance and planning, improves women's access to land and resources, develops their empowerment through training and mentoring, and promotes gender-sensitive financing. Analysis and monitoring systems collect and capitalise information on gender, human vulnerability, cultural practices and good conservation practices. Capacity building targets institutional and community stakeholders and women leaders to develop skills in governance, leadership, strategic planning and sustainable biodiversity management. Sustainable financing uses gender-responsive budgets and innovative mechanisms to secure projects promoting equality and strengthen the economic autonomy and resilience of women and vulnerable human groups in natural resource management.
Marshall Islands		Sub-target 3.23 calls for gender equality and responsiveness in implementation for biodiversity conservation and/or mitigation, delivered through national policy and Reimaanlok Steps 1–5 at the local level. Binary indicator 23.B (Gender Plan of Action) tracks legal, administrative, or policy frameworks to implement the Gender Plan of Action (2023–2030), covering participation and leadership of women and girls, legislation protecting women's rights and access to land and natural resources, gender-responsive approaches in KMGBF implementation, and sex-disaggregated data collection. RMI EPA is the data lead. Action 5.iii calls for advancing delivery of the Gender Plan of Action (Decision 15/11) promoting gender-responsive participation in biodiversity decision-making, implementation, and reporting. Section §47 presents community-proposed actions: GoRMI and partners are to ensure women are actively engaged in community decision-making related to natural resource management, food systems, and environmental protection; and agencies and NGOs are to support capacity-building for women in leadership roles related to biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable livelihoods. The EPPSO-led Women and Youth Skills Empowerment Project under ADB (Action 87f) supports technical and vocational skills, employment readiness, and entrepreneurship for women and youth. Appendix D provides contextual analysis of customary matrilineal land tenure and gender relations in the RMI, referenced as essential context for this target's implementation.
Mexico — Estrategia Nacional de Biodiversidad de México (ENBioMex)		The alignment analysis identifies Target 23 as having the second-highest number of direct contributions, at 44% of ENBioMex actions, with 18% enabling contributions. As with Target 22, Axes 5 (Education), 6 (Integration and governance), and 2 (Conservation and restoration) contribute the most directly. The conclusions note that this cross-cutting target involves the participation of key actors including women and children, and that more than 40% of ENBioMex actions address it. The Context section describes the ENBioMex as incorporating a gender perspective, calling this a milestone in national public policy. The conclusions reiterate that the ENBioMex has a cross-cutting vision of the gender perspective. The Annex 3 mapping shows direct contributions from actions across all axes, with particularly widespread alignment: research for the sustainable use of biodiversity (1.1.8), citizen science programmes (1.3.1–1.3.4), conservation tools and programmes (2.1.6), ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration (2.3.2), sustainable enterprises (3.2.3), productive reconversion (3.2.4), low environmental impact services (3.2.9), citizen participation (4.3.2, 5.2.3), and numerous education and communication actions.
Namibia	Gender equality and a gender-responsive approach are mainstreamed in biodiversity governance and implementation.	National Target 23 commits that gender equality and a gender-responsive approach are mainstreamed in biodiversity governance and implementation. Programme 33 — Strengthening gender-responsive biodiversity governance and implementation — mainstreams gender across biodiversity laws, policies, institutions and implementation processes in line with national priorities and the CBD Gender Plan of Action (2023–2030). A National Biodiversity Gender Action Plan (under development) is the central instrument. The programme supports integration of gender analysis and gender-responsive measures into biodiversity planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting, with attention to ground-level implementation within conservancies, community forests, fisheries structures, restoration initiatives and biodiversity-based value chains. It prioritises removing barriers to women's participation and leadership, including unequal access to land-use opportunities, natural resources, finance, skills development, information and decision-making platforms. Institutional capacity will apply gender-responsive tools in programme design, community engagement, benefit-sharing arrangements and monitoring systems; gender-disaggregated data and indicators will be incorporated into NBSAP 3 reporting. A biodiversity–gender focal point is to be designated to support coordination between biodiversity and gender institutions. Programme 24 also commits to train policymakers on designing gender-responsive interventions.
Nigeria	By 2020, the capacity of key actors is built and gender mainstreaming carried out for the achievement of Nigeria's biodiversity targets.	National Target 14 explicitly includes gender mainstreaming: "By 2020, the capacity of key actors is built and gender mainstreaming carried out for the achievement of Nigeria's biodiversity targets." A dedicated Gender Issues section (§60) instructs NBSAP coordinators to integrate gender issues into activities and adopt four measures to bridge gender gaps: gender analysis of biodiversity programmes and projects; gender responsive planning and policies for integrating women in resource management decision making; development of a comprehensive plan for integrating gender issues for women and youth empowerment through measures of positive discrimination; and organizing workshops and conferences on gender issues and compiling comprehensive gender statistics. Awareness outreach actions (Action 1.2) specify that publications on biodiversity and ecosystem services are to be directed to the public, "especially women and youth."
State of Palestine		The NBSAP devotes a dedicated section to gender mainstreaming and women's engagement. It records that in 2013 the EQA signed an Agreement with the Ministry of Women's Affairs to ensure women participate fully in environmental issues. The Cross-Sectoral National Gender Strategy: Promoting Gender Equality and Equity (originally set for 2011–2013) is cited, with its goal of eliminating gender discrimination and advocating human rights, including the right to control and use natural resources (land, water and wells, forests, livestock), human resources, financial resources, and material resources. Activity 7 of the NBSAP process explicitly considered gender equality in strengthening national coordination structures. Thirteen literature-based recommendations are set out, including: women's empowerment through capacity-building and biodiversity mainstreaming; rights-based empowerment (right to food, safe and clean environment, education, sexual and reproductive rights, access to land, water, seeds, training, finance, markets); engaging women in environmental restoration (rangeland rehabilitation, reforestation with multiple-use trees such as olives and date palms); revisiting the 2013 EQA–Ministry of Women's Affairs Agreement; establishing formal networks of women's groups; engaging women's unions and cooperatives near protected areas; ensuring gender equity in ecosystem-service benefits; and directing financial flows with strong consideration of women's potential contributions. Action 17.3 (Goal D) commits to developing capacity for project fundraising and management in biodiversity stakeholders, especially for women.
Sudan	Ensure gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP in Sudan through a gender responsive approach where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognizing their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making related to biodiversity.	National Target 23 commits Sudan to ensuring gender equality in the implementation of the NBSAP through a gender-responsive approach where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three CBD objectives. Chapter 12 is dedicated to gender mainstreaming proposals. The NBSAP identifies 42 priority actions across 16 national targets where gender aspects should be taken into account, distributed by CBD objective: conservation (64%), sustainable use (17%), ABS (7%), and cross-cutting (12%). Appendix 5 provides a detailed matrix with specific measures for each action organized around three dimensions: equal opportunities (typically requiring 50% women participation among community groups), equal capacities (ensuring gender expertise in material development, balancing education and experience levels through gender-disaggregated data collection), and effective meaningful and informed participation and leadership (30% women among those developing materials, included as experts). Specific participation targets vary by action: 50% women among local community participants, 40% of training participants, 30% in expert and leadership roles, and 20% in some technical contexts. A national gender plan of action for biodiversity is the single cross-cutting action under Target 23, with US$20,000 already secured for its development. The monitoring framework tracks gender equality through percentage of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments, indicator on national implementation of the gender plan of action, proportion of adult population with secure tenure rights to land disaggregated by sex, and percentage of positions in national and local institutions held by women.
Senegal	Ensure gender equality in the implementation of biodiversity policies and actions	The NBSAP defines national target (23) as ensuring gender equality in the implementation of biodiversity policies and actions. The results framework prescribes two priority actions: development of income-generating activities for women active in ecosystem restoration (indicator: funding mobilised for the benefit of women), and increasing the representation of women in biodiversity decision-making bodies (indicator: number of women in decision-making bodies). The diagnosis provides a specific baseline: women carry nearly 60% of forest restoration efforts but have access to less than 8% of land rights, which the NBSAP identifies as a factor limiting the impact of their commitment. The reformulated text of national target (22) also references equitable participation of women and young people. Gender equality is embedded in the KMGBF principles section of the introduction as a condition for success.
Suriname	4.7 Suriname's biodiversity policies include gender-responsive actions and these are implemented through inclusive participation mechanisms, considering intersectionality and outcomes that effectively improve the situation of vulnerable groups, including indigenous and tribal peoples, women and youth.	Gender is addressed both as a cross-cutting principle of the NBSAP update and as part of national Target 4.7. The §10 lessons-learned narrative cites 'no clear gender mainstreaming' in the previous NBSAP and lists 'incorporating the role that women and men play in conserving biodiversity and mainstreaming gender aspects' as an explicit recommendation for the update. The biodiversity-context narrative describes women's role in agro-biodiversity innovation, household management and traditional medicine, notes that women's role in decision-making remains 'largely invisible', and references Suriname's National Gender Vision Policy (2019) and addendum (2023). Target 4.7 commits to gender-responsive policies implemented through inclusive participation, considering intersectionality and outcomes that improve the situation of vulnerable groups including women and youth. Actions 4.7.3-4.7.5 specifically target gender-disaggregated data: incorporating gender and biodiversity questions in the national census ($45,034), compiling existing gender and biodiversity information ($91,608), and facilitating gender-specific assessments of ecosystem services access, use and management ($415,020). The Bureau of Gender Affairs is named as a lead responsible body.
El Salvador — NBSAP Country Page		KMGBF Target 23 (participation of women and young people) is explicitly listed as an associated global target under National Target 10, alongside Target 22. The NBSAP integrates gender and youth considerations throughout its strategic framework rather than as a standalone target. Operational action 10.1.4 specifically commits to implementing initiatives aimed at strengthening the participation of women, young people and indigenous peoples in decision-making processes in participatory management and governance mechanisms, with a timeline of 2029–2030. Indicators track the number of key actors participating in governance mechanisms, disaggregated by women, men, young people and indigenous peoples. The consultation process for the NBSAP achieved 44% women's participation among 250 participants. Across challenges and opportunities, the NBSAP consistently references women, youth and indigenous peoples: increased representation in leadership roles and decision-making; implementing incentives for effective participation; developing capacities for leadership and collaborative work particularly aimed at women, communities and indigenous peoples; and economic alternatives directed at women, youth, local communities and indigenous peoples. National Target 8 (capacity development) also specifies 'including people, especially women and young people.' The NBSAP frames participation as requiring that 'conditions must be generated for participation and to ensure the participation of women, men, young people, local communities and persons of indigenous peoples.'
Chad		The NBSAP links Global Target 23 to National Objective 18 (NO18, traditional knowledge and IP/LC participation). The 2011–2020 reference notes that the gender issue is more or less respected; the 2030 target is the effective participation of women in the conservation and use of biodiversity, with the percentage of positions in national and local institutions reaching 30%. Measures include full and equitable participation of women and girls in all decisions affecting species conservation; integration of gender issues in the development and implementation of the NBSAP 2025–2030; and capacity-building of women's associations on their effective involvement in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. The national coordination mechanism described in the Conclusion (§113) includes a national focal point for gender equality and biodiversity. The indicator is the percentage of positions in national and local institutions — legislative bodies, civil service, and judiciary — relative to national distribution, disaggregated by sex, age, disability status and population group (I1GT23).
Togo	Target 14 : Ensure gender participation in biodiversity conservation through an approach enabling women, young people and other vulnerable persons to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities to contribute to the implementation of biodiversity conservation actions	The NBSAP designates National Target 14 under Strategic Objective 1, mapped to GBF Target 23, committing to ensure gender participation in biodiversity conservation through an approach enabling women, young people, and other vulnerable persons to benefit from the same opportunities and capacities to contribute to the implementation of biodiversity conservation actions. Guiding principle (xv) states that successful implementation requires achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women, girls, and vulnerable persons, as well as reduction of inequalities. The ministry responsible for social action and the promotion of women is assigned responsibility for integrating gender considerations into biodiversity conservation policies, sustainable use, and benefit sharing. The diagnostic analysis identifies the existence of a guide for gender integration into legal texts, programmes, and projects relating to biodiversity as a strength. The national monitoring committee includes two representatives of women's organisations and one representative of youth organisations. The capacity building plan includes training on strategies for integrating gender and vulnerable groups in biodiversity conservation (30 million CFA), with MERF as responsible structure and beneficiaries including MERF, agriculture, planning, social affairs, and the maritime economy ministry. This is one of two capacity building areas not requiring external support.
Uganda		Gender equality is addressed through a dedicated section (§162) and as a cross-cutting principle. Gender issues are listed among the key developments incorporated into the updated NBSAPIII (§64). Two of the overarching principles address gender: principle 3 ("Gender equality that recognizes the different roles and contributions that men and women, girls and boys, youth and elderly people play in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development") and principle 7 ("Ensuring gender equality and empowerment of women, girls and the youth including boys"). The gender equality section commits to increasing women's participation in decision-making processes. It specifies that women's groups will be involved in community-based monitoring programmes to track ecosystem health or species populations, and women's organizations will participate in developing policies on sustainable land-use planning and sustainable agriculture practices. The M&E strategic aims state that the monitoring and evaluation strategy will track the level of participation and contribution of different women and men stakeholders to the goals of NBSAPIII. SDG 5 (Attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere) is listed among the SDGs that NBSAPIII contributes to in the Vision 2040 linkage table.
Vanuatu		The NBSAP establishes gender equality as a guiding principle (Principle 4 on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion), requiring all NBSAP-related policies and actions to consider gender perspectives at every stage, recognising the differentiated roles, knowledge, and contributions of women, men, and youth. Strategic Area 5 includes five implementation activities under Target 23: strengthening meaningful participation of youth, women, girls, and vulnerable groups in biodiversity governance structures and conservation actions (EG.23, VUV 8,000,000, long-term, linked to Gender Equality Policy 2020-2030 and supported by UNDP SGP); integrating gender-sensitive traditional ecological knowledge into biodiversity planning, NBSAP implementation, and ABS agreements (EG.24, VUV 2,000,000, medium-term); developing a Gender Action Plan for NBSAP (EG.25, VUV 2,000,000, long-term); establishing a Gender and Biodiversity Monitoring Framework to track progress against GBF Target 23, with a composite indicator (representation, engagement, integration, capacity) tracked annually from 2026 (EG.26, VUV 5,000,000, long-term); and mainstreaming gender in biodiversity projects through gender action plans, parity targets, and participation tracking (EG.27, VUV 4,000,000, medium-term, with potential GBF Fund EAS Phase 2 support). Target 23 is allocated VUV 21,000,000.
Yemen	By 2030, ensure fair and reasonable representation of women, youth, and vulnerable groups in committees, working groups, and departments whose primary mission is biodiversity management. Adopt a gender-responsive approach to ensure the effective participation of women, vulnerable groups, marginalized communities, and youth in achieving national and international biodiversity Targets, providing them with opportunities to access natural resources and ensuring their fair, equitable, purposeful, and informed participation at all levels of environmental action and biodiversity-related decision-making.	The NBSAP addresses gender equality through National Target 19 (which combines GBF Targets 22 and 23), adopting a gender-responsive approach to ensure the effective participation of women, vulnerable groups, marginalized communities, and youth in achieving biodiversity targets. The target commits to providing women and vulnerable groups with opportunities to access natural resources and ensuring their fair, equitable, purposeful, and informed participation at all levels of environmental action and biodiversity-related decision-making. Gender-specific actions appear throughout the strategy. Under Pathway 4, capacity building explicitly targets women, people with special needs, and children (ACT 4.8), and community training on scientific research emphasizes women and youth (ACT 4.10). The Action Plan lists Vulnerable Groups Associations (VGA — women/children) as partners for implementation activities. The strategy does not include a standalone gender action plan or gender-disaggregated targets, but integrates gender considerations across multiple pathways.
Afghanistan	Afghanistan will not address Target 23.	The NBSAP explicitly states that Afghanistan will not address Target 23 (gender equality in NBSAP implementation). In Annex 1, all fields for Target 23 — headline indicator, responsibility, cooperators, and completion dates — are marked as "None." The NBSAP does note that consultation workshops included 77 women and 109 youth (including 51 females) out of 669 total participants, and that the Helping Hand for Women (HHW, a national NGO) participated as a supporting organization for training purposes and facilitating discussions with women and youth. However, no gender-specific targets, actions, or indicators are established.
Argentina		Argentina does not have a dedicated national target for gender equality in biodiversity framework implementation. However, National Target 21 references National Law No. 27,499 (Ley Micaela), which mandates gender-based violence training for all public officials, in the context of ensuring a comprehensive perspective with equitable approach where all social groups have equal opportunities. The target calls for recognition of equality in terms of rights and full participation and leadership at all levels of action, policy-making, and decision-making, but does not elaborate gender-specific measures, indicators, or actions for biodiversity. The framing is one of general equity across all social groups rather than a specific gender mainstreaming approach.
Australia		The NBSAP does not establish specific gender equality actions or targets for biodiversity implementation. However, the enabler on equitable representation and participation (§29), which is stated to align with GBF targets 22 and 23, calls for including diverse perspectives and voices across age, gender, ability, location, ethnicity, and other backgrounds in decision-making. Gender is listed as one dimension of the diversity sought in participation, without further elaboration on gender-specific mechanisms or gender-responsive approaches.
Burkina Faso		The NBSAP cites SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) among its foundations. The strategy's global objective references improving the socio-economic conditions of "men and women." The abbreviations list includes the National Gender Strategy (NGS), indicating its existence as a cross-cutting national instrument. However, the NBSAP does not articulate gender-specific biodiversity actions, gender-disaggregated targets, or a gender mainstreaming approach within the biodiversity strategy itself.
China		The NBSAP contains a single reference relevant to gender equality: Priority Action 6 states that biodiversity conservation activities should be innovatively developed to be suitable for different demographic groups, and specifically mentions safeguarding the rights of women, children, young people, and persons with disabilities to participate in biodiversity conservation actions and leverage their positive influence. This references women's participation but does not constitute a gender-responsive approach to biodiversity governance or a gender mainstreaming commitment as envisaged by Target 23. No gender action plan, gender analysis, or gender-disaggregated indicators are specified.
Denmark		The NBSAP mentions Target 23 in the overview of Chapter 5, stating it aims to ensure gender equality in implementation through a process that takes account of people's different needs and experiences based on gender identity. However, no dedicated gender strategy or gender-responsive mainstreaming mechanism for biodiversity is described. Gender is referenced in two international partnership contexts. The IWGIA partnership (DKK 18 million/year, 2024-2027) includes a focus on indigenous women and girls, and the challenges indigenous women face from climate change and threats to ecosystems. The Strategic Partnership with Forests of the World includes the inclusion of women in relation to forest and biodiversity conservation. The Annex 2 overview links the IWGIA partnership to both Target 22 and Target 23.
Eritrea		The NBSAP does not have a standalone gender equality target corresponding to GBF Target 23. However, gender considerations are integrated into National Target 12. The NBSAP states that considering gender dimensions in biodiversity-related decision-making is "crucial for positive outcomes for biodiversity and gender equality" and that women's inclusion "must go beyond their mere participation in soil/water conservation and tree planting." The NUEW, whose Gender Action Plan includes environmental sustainability, is identified as a key implementing institution across multiple targets. The NUEW distributes organic fertilizers to vulnerable women farmers through its small grant programmes and has been active in stove dissemination and environmental cleanliness campaigns. Specific actions include ensuring women's participation in biodiversity decision-making (Action 12.1.4) and ensuring membership of women and girls in Watershed Committees (Action 12.3.3). Community Social Forums specifically include Women Biodiversity Forums (Action 12.2.2). Gender is thus mainstreamed within the participation target rather than treated as a separate strategic objective addressing structural gender inequalities in biodiversity governance.
European Union		Gender is mentioned in two contexts within the strategy. In the proposed elements for the post-2020 global framework, the EU advocates for an inclusive approach with participation of all stakeholders including women. In its international cooperation commitments, the EU states it will strengthen the links between biodiversity protection and human rights, gender, and the rights-based approach. No domestic gender-mainstreaming measures for biodiversity implementation are specified.
Indonesia		Gender equality is embedded within National Target 17 (TN 17) rather than treated as a standalone national target. Strategy 3.2 (Mainstreaming Biodiversity and Inclusive Participation) calls for representation of women alongside persons with disabilities and youth, and Action Group 17.3 under TN 17 is 'enhancing the participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities in biodiversity management'. The TN 17 Indicator 17.a baseline — provincial governments that have engaged women and marginalised groups — is drawn from Kemen PPPA (2023) data on provincial gender mainstreaming policies in the socio-cultural field including environment. The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemen PPPA) is named as a TN 17 lead entity. The NBSAP reproduces KMGBF Target 23 verbatim in §216 but does not set a gender-specific indicator, nor distinct women's land and natural-resource rights commitments beyond the customary/local community framing of TN 17.
Iceland		The NBSAP does not contain a dedicated section on gender equality in biodiversity actions. The only reference to gender appears in §99, where the policy states that people of all ages and all genders must be encouraged to participate in biodiversity protection. This is a passing reference within a broader discussion of public mobilisation rather than a gender-responsive approach to biodiversity implementation.
Mauritania — National Biodiversity Strategy 2022–2030		The NBSAP references gender in two places. The review of the 2011-2020 strategy notes that degraded land restoration initiatives enabled approximately 3,000 women to benefit from agricultural programmes in several regions. The recommendations for implementation mechanisms call for strengthening achievements, "notably the gender integration dimension, by linking it with the potential for local economic development and its stakeholders." Three capacity-building actions are tagged to GBF Target 23 in the action plan: C.2.1 (awareness events with NGOs), C.3.2 (community awareness campaigns), and C.3.3 (training fishers in sustainable techniques). However, the NBSAP does not include a gender action plan, gender-disaggregated targets, or specific measures to ensure gender-responsive implementation of the strategy.
Malaysia		Malaysia's NPBD does not set a stand-alone gender-equality target and does not commit to a gender-responsive approach, a gender action plan, or gender-disaggregated indicators. Gender appears in a single locus: Action 2.1 (empower and support indigenous peoples and local communities) commits to review relevant legislation, procedures, and policies to empower IPLCs "across all genders" to contribute to biodiversity management and conservation, and to develop partnership arrangements and capacity-building programmes that facilitate the involvement of IPLCs "including women and children." No references to gender mainstreaming, equal decision-making rights, equal access to land tenure, or equal access to benefits from biodiversity resources appear. No Key Indicator addresses gender, and no lead agency responsible for gender integration is named. Content is present but narrow, limited to IPLC inclusion language, and does not constitute a substantive response to KMGBF Target 23.
Netherlands		The NBSAP addresses Target 23 jointly with Target 22 in a single brief annex paragraph. The Netherlands states that it continually asks whether the right parties are at the table, including women, young people, and smaller businesses. In consultation with the public bodies of the Caribbean Netherlands, an exploration will be conducted into the extent to which additional steps are needed. No gender-specific analysis, gender action plan, sex-disaggregated indicators, or dedicated gender-responsive mechanisms for biodiversity implementation are described.
Panama		The Nature Pledge states that "gender equality and the empowerment of women will be cross-cutting principles of this transformation." The LDN targets are described as gender-sensitive. Resilient agri-food systems are framed as ensuring dignified livelihoods specifically for "farmers, rural women, indigenous peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant communities." However, the NBSAP does not elaborate a gender action plan, set gender-specific indicators or detail implementation mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in biodiversity actions.
Paraguay		The NBSAP integrates a gender equality approach across its narrative but does not define a standalone quantified national target on gender. The participation statistics for the NBSAP update report 59% women among 2,026 participants and 70% young women in youth workshops. The protected areas sectoral line 3.6.2 calls for a restoration and protected-area management model that recovers the knowledge of women, young people and older persons from rural, indigenous and peasant communities, promoting their leadership through incentives and technical assistance. The sustainable finance sectoral line 3.6.8 requires identifying barriers faced by rural, indigenous and smallholder women in accessing financial mechanisms, simplifying procedures and evaluating existing incentives from a perspective of equality between men and women and social, cultural and environmental justice. The knowledge management sectoral line emphasises strengthening the leadership of women researchers, environmental journalists and young female scientists, with data disaggregation and equity indicators for access, and recognition of elder women as guardians of biocultural memory. Youth priority axis 8 in Annex 8 calls to guarantee effective mechanisms that reduce the gender gap by promoting equity, intersectionality, parity and mainstreaming, to recognise the fundamental role of women leading biodiversity initiatives, and to guarantee the safety and protection of environmental human rights defenders. Collective and individual authorship rights for documented traditional knowledge (Target 28) are framed to protect women who transmit ancestral knowledge.
Rwanda		Rwanda's NBSAP does not set a separate national target for gender equality in biodiversity framework implementation. The KMGBF Target 23 is addressed indirectly through cross-cutting treatment. The executive summary identifies gender and youth considerations as cross-cutting themes that run throughout the NBSAP. National Target 22 includes women, youth, and persons with disabilities in biodiversity-related decision-making. National Goal 3 in Table 2 links to GBF Targets 14, 15, 21, 22, and 23, indicating awareness of the KMGBF target, though the national target framework extends only to Target 22. The strategy's indicators for Target 22 track participation by sex and age groups, and the strategic actions under Target 22 include establishing baseline information on gender inclusion and targeted engagement of women. However, a dedicated gender-responsive approach to the overall framework implementation — covering gender-responsive resource allocation, gender analysis of biodiversity policies, or gender action plans — is not presented as a standalone commitment.
Saudi Arabia		The NBSAP references gender considerations in two contexts but does not present a standalone gender equality strategy or target. National Target 10 (urban biodiversity) states that collective efforts must preserve the rights of all segments of society, "especially the local community, youth, women, and girls, respecting the rights of persons with disabilities and non-discrimination." The monitoring framework governance principle on broad and inclusive participation calls for the participation of women and youth in data collection and reporting processes. No dedicated gender action plan, gender-responsive budgeting, sex-disaggregated indicators, or gender mainstreaming strategy appears in the briefing.
Sweden		The NBSAP addresses target 23 through a horizontal framing rather than a dedicated chapter. Section 2.3 states that Sweden has comprehensive legislation and policy promoting gender equality and prohibiting discrimination, and that these rights are central to creating inclusive and equitable societal structures — with the Government assessing that work in these areas is directly significant for several action targets, particularly those emphasizing participation, rights and equality, in line with the Convention's ambition to integrate the gender perspective into implementation of the Framework's action targets. Section 2.1 notes that gender equality and inclusion in decision-making processes are examples of areas relevant to the Framework's targets 20–23 where Swedish parliamentary targets exist beyond the environmental system. Sida is reported to apply a rights-based approach, and in 2024 more than 70 per cent of Sida's biodiversity-related support had integrated targets contributing to gender equality. No Sweden-specific gender action plan for biodiversity (Gender Plan of Action equivalent) is described in the briefing.
Thailand		Gender equality is addressed within the plan's treatment of inclusive participation rather than as a standalone target. The preface (§3) notes that the Action Plan was developed through participatory processes engaging women and gender diversity among other groups. The dedicated section on roles and rights (§135) commits to ensure full gender responsiveness, equality, and effective inclusion of vulnerable groups, supporting equitable access to decision-making, justice, and biodiversity-related information for women alongside local communities, indigenous peoples, youth, and vulnerable groups. Measure 10 under §139 calls for measures to ensure women and girls enjoy the same rights and access to biodiversity and resources as others. Implementation measures under the data-and-awareness target (§142) specifically include developing databases for women and raising awareness of the roles of women, youth, and indigenous peoples in sustainable biodiversity conservation, assigned to MNRE, MOI (LAO), OPM (Thai-MECC, OSMEP), MIND (DIP), MSDHS (DCY, DOP, DWF, DSDW, CODI), and NHRC over 2023-2027. Appendix A aligns the plan with SDG 5.1 (end discrimination against women and girls), SDG 5.5 (women's full participation and leadership), SDG 5.a (equal rights to economic resources, land, and natural resources), and SDG 5.c (sound policies and legislation for gender equality). The plan does not set out a dedicated national gender-and-biodiversity action plan or quantified gender-disaggregated targets in the sections reviewed.
Tunisia		The NBSAP does not have a dedicated target or objective for gender equality in biodiversity action as specified in KM-GBF Target 23. The alignment analysis explicitly identified Target 23 as having no equivalent in the previous NBSAP 2018-2030. Gender is mentioned in a few specific contexts. Technology transfer training (D7.3.2) explicitly includes women alongside young people and persons with disabilities. The traditional knowledge measure (C1.2.1) notes the importance of identifying holders of traditional knowledge, particularly women, for negotiating terms of access and benefit-sharing. Women's associations are listed among the associative network of NBSAP stakeholders. The awareness-raising and education measures (D8.3) address all stakeholders including women. However, the NBSAP does not include a gender action plan, gender-responsive budgeting, or systematic gender mainstreaming across its objectives and measures.
Viet Nam		The NBSAP mentions women and girls once, in the context of ensuring equal participation of local communities "including women and girls, and youth" in decision-making on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. There is no dedicated gender equality strategy, gender mainstreaming approach, or gender-responsive actions articulated in the available sections of the strategy.
Zambia		The NBSAP makes several references to gender but does not include a dedicated gender target or gender-responsive strategy. The methodology section notes the need to mainstream biodiversity conservation into poverty eradication and economic development, "considering gender and people's rights." The preface states the strategy "belongs to all people of Zambia including practitioners of biodiversity conservation, local communities, women and the youth." The Aichi Targets listed in the annexes reference ecosystems that provide essential services "taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities, and the poor and vulnerable." However, no specific actions, indicators, or institutional responsibilities for gender equality in biodiversity management are set out.
Austria
Belgium
Belarus
Switzerland
Côte d'Ivoire
Czechia
Germany
Hungary
Luxembourg		Content addressing Target 23 was not identified in this NBSAP. The strategy does not reference gender equality, gender-responsive approaches, or the role of women and girls in biodiversity action.
Malta
Norway
Slovenia