The submission of 7th National Reports is grounded in the mandatory reporting obligations of Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Conference of the Parties, through Decision 16/32 on mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review, adopted on 27 February 2025, formally required Parties to submit national reports as a core component of the monitoring and review framework for the implementation of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This requirement builds on Decision 15/6, paragraph 1(b), which requested Parties to submit national reports in 2026 and 2029, including the use of headline indicators and, as appropriate, other indicators adopted under Decision 15/5 as part of the GBF monitoring framework.
Decision 16/32 recalls Parties’ obligations under Articles 6, 23 and 26 of the Convention, and establishes the 7th National Reports as key inputs to the global review of collective progress to be conducted at the seventeenth and nineteenth meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP17 and COP19). These reports are therefore essential for assessing progress, identifying implementation gaps, and informing policy, resource mobilization, and decision‑making at national, regional, and global levels.
While the reporting process is designed to be facilitative, non‑intrusive and non-punitive, respect of national sovereignty and to avoid placing undue burden on Parties particularly developing countries, the submission and quality of the 7th National Reports remain a formal requirement under the Convention.
Approximately 129 Countries submitted their Seventh National Reports by the deadline of 28 February 2026, in line with their commitments under the GBF. Countries reported on their progress in implementing the GBF, and the key highlights included – evidence i.e. qualitative and quantitative data, stakeholders engaged, challenges, opportunities, lesson learned and experienced. For the 7th National Reports, Parties were generally expected to report against the GBF targets and indicators set out in the reporting template. If a Party had not yet updated its NBSAP or not yet submitted national targets aligned to the GBF, it would still report using the global GBF framework. Where Parties had developed national targets or updated their NBSAPs, they could use those as a national reference point to explain implementation progress, provided these were linked back to the GBFAs of April 2026, 39 African countries had submitted their 7NRs, and out of these 25 met the 28th of February 2026 deadline.
In this context, there is a need for a consolidated review of the 7th National Reports submitted by African Parties to assess their alignment with the requirements of Decision 16/32 and the GBF monitoring framework as well as the African Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (ABSAP) It is important to note that the findings from the report will also help inform Africa CSOs engagements in the lead up to CBD COP17.
Objectives of this consultancy
Identify regional implementation challenges, gaps, and opportunities, and propose practical recommendations to strengthen future reporting and coordination.
An inception note outlining the review methodology, assessment framework, sample of Seventh National Reports to be analysed, and timeline for delivery.
A review of means of implementation reflected in the reports, including finance, capacity, technology transfer, technical cooperation, and enabling conditions for implementation.
A synthesis of key regional challenges, gaps, and opportunities, with practical recommendations to improve future reporting and strengthen regional coordination.
Better understanding of means of implementation across the region, including key gaps and opportunities related to finance, capacity, technology transfer, and enabling conditions.
Identification of common regional challenges, gaps, and opportunities affecting implementation and reporting, together with practical options for improvement.
A more robust evidence base for strategic engagement by African stakeholders, including civil society organizations, in the lead-up to CBD COP17 in particular better articulation and negotiations under global review to be conducted at COP 17.
The consultant will focus on reviewing the 7th National Reports and the capacity needs assessments conducted under the Technical and Scientific Cooperation mechanism that have been submitted by African countries where institutions represented on the International NGOs Regional Directors Forum are present. These include the following countries by region
Congo Basin and central Africa – Gabon, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea.
Eastern Africa – Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan
Southern Africa – Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Malawi
West Africa: Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Liberia, Guinea
Expected duration for the consultancy – 30 days
The consultant will focus on the GBF Targets that deal with the following areas:
