The CEPF Guinean Forests of West Africa Regional Implementation Team (GFWA RIT) will be at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Armenia, where it will convene a side event highlighting the role of civil society in advancing biodiversity conservation across the Guinean Forests of West Africa.
The side event, “Financing and Advancing CSO-Led Action for Key Biodiversity Area Conservation in the Guinean Forests of West Africa,” will take place on Wednesday, 21 October, from 10:15 to 11:15 (+04) at Forum B, IUCN Pavilion, Blue Zone, CBD COP17.
Spanning 11 countries from Guinea to Cameroon and the Gulf of Guinea Islands, the Guinean Forests of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot is one of the world’s most biologically rich and threatened regions. It is home to 1,084 globally threatened species, including 222 Critically Endangered species, while approximately 6% of its forest cover was lost between 2010 and 2020.
Against this backdrop, the side event will showcase how the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is supporting civil society organisations to lead conservation action and contribute to the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
The discussion will draw on more than two decades of CEPF investment in the hotspot, sharing lessons on civil society-led conservation and exploring how investment in organisational resilience, alongside project funding, can help deliver lasting biodiversity outcomes.
Participants will also learn about newly expanded priority sites and species under the current 2025–2030 CEPF investment strategy, as well as approaches to strengthening local civil society organisations to better respond to conservation challenges.
The session will contribute to wider discussions on how donors, governments and conservation partners can better support local civil society as a cornerstone of GBF implementation, including progress towards Targets 3, 4, 19 and 22.
For the GFWA RIT, the event is an opportunity to bring experiences from across the hotspot to the global biodiversity conversation and highlight the importance of strong, resilient civil society organisations in turning global biodiversity commitments into action on the ground.