Webinar Series on Capacity-Building for Access- and Benefit Sharing by SCBD

In 2025, the Secretariat of the CBD implemented a global webinar series on Capacity-Building for Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS). The series brought together policymakers, practitioners, communities, researchers and private-sector actors to exchange lessons learned and practical solutions for implementing the Nagoya Protocol.

The ABS Capacity Development Initiative, the BioInnovation Africa Project and ABioSa contributed with their inputs to three webinars and shared concrete experiences, evidence and lessons from its work across African biodiversity-based value chains.

• The opening webinar reflected on more than 20 years of experience shared by the ABS Initiative, highlighting how long-term, strategic support can effectively translate the Nagoya Protocol into practice. The ABS Initiative emphasized the importance of combining functioning ABS contract tools with digital solutions to strengthen national ABS administration, as well as engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities through trust-based, multi-stakeholder dialogue. Experiences presented from South Africa, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire illustrated how inclusive partnerships can generate tangible benefits for communities, biodiversity and markets.

• The second webinar, with contributions from BioInnovation Africa, demonstrated that sustainable biotrade and ABS implementation depend on continuous capacity development rather than one-off interventions. Partnerships spanning communities, cooperatives, governments, research institutions and the private sector were shown to be essential for creating lasting impact. Across different perspectives, a common message emerged: empowering local actors, respecting cultural contexts and ensuring national ownership are key to building durable ABS systems that benefit both people and biodiversity.

• The fourth webinar on the topic "Financing Biotrade and ABS: Blended Finance Tools and Practical Insights" with contribution by ABioSA explored the challenges and opportunities in financing biotrade and ABS-compliant value chains. SMEs face high costs and complex requirements - from ABS compliance to research & development, certification, and export regulations - often leaving them not yet investment-ready. Despite these hurdles, investor interest in biodiversity-positive ventures is growing, particularly where blended finance can bridge early-stage and “missing middle” funding gaps. The webinar highlighted the critical need for adequate financing to support effective ABS implementation and the challenges SMEs face with high compliance costs, complex regulations, and limited investment readiness. Evidence-based insights showed that blended finance and other innovative funding approaches can help bridge early-stage and “missing middle” financing gaps, creating opportunities for scaling sustainable, biodiversity-positive ventures. Key lessons included the importance of strengthened governance, clear communication of biotrade’s value to investors, scalable business models, and coordinated partnerships to unlock finance for ABS-compliant value chains.

Across the series, the webinars demonstrated the value of integrated capacity development - linking policy, community empowerment, market access, and finance - and reaffirmed that advancing ABS requires long-term commitment, inclusive partnerships, and practical tools that work on the ground.

🎥 Watch the webinar series in full length here: Tag Article | Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House