On Thursday, September 11, 2025, in the conference room of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso began a decisive step in its environmental policy by organizing a scoping meeting in order to develop two strategic documents: (i) the seventh national report on biological diversity, within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and (ii) the first national report on biological diversity (CBD) and (ii) the first national report on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) related to genetic resources.

Organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development (SP-CNDD), this session aims to:

• share the main conclusions of the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the CBD and the highlights of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;
• inform stakeholders about the process of preparing the seventh national report on biological diversity and the first national report on ABS in Burkina Faso;
• validate the methodological approach and the road map recommended for the preparation of the two national reports;
• mobilizing all actors involved in the management of biological diversity for an inclusive and participatory process of preparing the two national reports;
• officially launch the process of preparing the ^7th National Report on Biological Diversity and the 1st National Report on ABS in Burkina Faso.

This meeting will bring together actors involved in the management of biodiversity in Burkina Faso; experts, representatives of the administration, researchers, NGOs, technical and financial partners, and local communities, with the aim of laying the methodological bases for a participatory and rigorous process.

“These reports are essential to assess our international commitments and strengthen environmental governance at the national level,” said Dr. Boureima KOUANDA, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation at the opening of the meeting.

The seventh report on biological diversity will make it possible to take stock of conservation efforts, identify threats to ecosystems and propose appropriate measures. It is part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which Burkina Faso has been a party since 1993.

As for the report on the Nagoya Protocol, it is a first for the country. Ratified in 2014, this protocol aims to regulate access to genetic resources and to ensure equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use, in particular for the benefit of communities that hold traditional knowledge.

The scoping work will lead to a drafting calendar, with thematic workshops planned in the coming months. Both reports will be transmitted to international bodies and will serve as a basis for future national policies on biodiversity and environmental justice.