On 17 July 2025, a side event of the UN (HLPF) highlighted the transformative potential of the (IPSI) and its Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative (COMDEKS) in advancing the SDGs and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). The event convened more than 100 online participants to discuss strategies for fostering socio-ecological resilience through community-led initiatives. It was co-organized by UNDP, 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ) and the Keidanren Nature Conservation Council (KNCC).
In opening remarks, Marcos Neto (Assistant Secretary-General, UN; Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP) emphasized nature’s critical role in addressing global crises, highlighting the Satoyama Initiative as a model for living in harmony with nature. He highlighted the role of COMDEKS in supporting projects focused on livelihood improvement and poverty reduction, referring to examples from Peru that demonstrated community-level impact.
High-level remarks underscored the urgency of collaborative action. Fumiaki Kobayashi (State Minister of the Environment, Japan) advocated for the Satoyama Initiative and COMDEKS to help realize a society in harmony with nature. Keiji Nishizawa (President, Keidanren Nature Conservation Council) highlighted the escalating impacts of climate change, noting the global temperature rise of more than 1.5°C in 2024 as a call to action. He announced a contribution by KNCC for COMDEKS Phase 4 amounting to JPY 300 million and called for continued collaboration with local communities.
Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi (Director, 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS) introduced IPSI and socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) — areas where socio-economic activities sustain biodiversity and community livelihoods. She highlighted the SEPLS Resilience Indicators, a participatory tool developed by 糖心Vlog破解版-IAS to strengthen community resilience, which has been utilized through COMDEKS Phase 4 to advance the KMGBF and the SDGs.
Rissa Edoo (COMDEKS Partnerships Specialist, GEF SGP, UNDP) provided an overview of COMDEKS Phase 4 (2023–2027), which is supported by JPY 1 billion in funding from the MOEJ and the KNCC. Spanning 15 countries, including small island developing states, the initiative has engaged communities in resilience assessments and capacity development for the past year and half. She underlined how using the SEPLS Resilience Indicators had enabled communities to self-assess and monitor socio-ecological resilience, with plans to scale up these successful practices.
A community roundtable featured insights from local leaders implementing COMDEKS projects. Khadija Bourass (Executive Director, GREPOM, Morocco) discussed efforts in Morocco, using resilience indicators in local languages to engage youth, women and farmers. Sangay Dorji (Technical Director, Tarayana Foundation, Bhutan) shared initiatives from a national park in Bhutan hosting snow leopards and tigers, which addressed biodiversity loss through ecotourism and water resource management. Focusing on a landscape area covering 22% of the terrain in Kyrgyzstan, Altynai Achilova (Technical Expert, Rural Development Fund, Kyrgyzstan) highlighted promotion of micro-reserves and integration of traditional and scientific knowledge to protect biodiversity.
In closing, Astrid Schomaker (Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity) underscored the vital role of COMDEKS in empowering indigenous peoples, women and youth to address biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation.
