When Covid-19 hit the world in 2020, GeoMedia went on a steep learning curve regarding virtual events. Among the first activities, we supported the ABS Capacity Development Initiative to design, organise and conduct a series of webinars on implementing the Nagoya Protocol for African stakeholders, government officials and negotiators.
Meanwhile, we conceptualise and implement digital multi-stakeholder exchanges and help set up effective online platforms. Together with our in-house partner Media Company, we offer attractive web design with meaningful content. Please also refer to the BioInnovation Academy and the DSI Global Virtual Dialogue to learn more about our work in the virtual sphere.
Some examples of webinars that we helped design, organise, conduct and facilitate are:
Webinar series: Digital Sequence Information
With the growing relevance of Digital Sequence Information (DSI) in the CBD and the GBF, these webinars aim at facilitating a broader understanding and exchange of ideas on the topic among parties and stakeholders. Most of them are offered to a global audience, while some are focusing at African parties and stakeholders. They often include updates on the negotiation process and/or other important international events on DSI. To ensure that the discussions meet the demand of the audiences, the webinars are typically conceived in close cooperation with a variety of stakeholders and simultaneously interpreted from English into French and Spanish, with the audience being able to comment, ask questions and discuss through the chat function.
For example, a webinar in April 2024 was on Non-Monetary Benefit-Sharing (NMBS) under the CBD and Other UN Fora. This webinar featured a review of the context and evolution of NMBS within the CBD, as well as an input on indicators for NMBS by the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ). A panel of expert practitioners from industry and academia discussed the current state of NMBS in various sectors, areas of improvement in NMBS activities as well as its contribution to GBF objectives. The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity reflected on the discussion from an IP&LC perspective.
You can still watch the recordings in EN, FR and ES.
In May 2025, another webinar focused on Engaging the Private Sector in the Multilateral Mechanism (MLM) and the Cali Fund, which were operationalised with Decision 16/2 at CBD COP 16. Organised in cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce and attended by over 550 participants, the webinar aimed to shed light on what elements of the MLM and the Cali Fund still need to be addressed to facilitate business contributions. Based on an overview of Decision 16/2 by the Secretariat of the CBD, representatives of different industry sectors and world regions provided insights into the specific challenges that businesses face in relation to the MLM and the Fund. A panel then brought together parties to the CBD with industry representatives to discuss solution pathways for the specific challenges identified previously.
The recordings are also available in EN, FR and ES.
The English reports of both webinars are available for download below. For examples of our physical multi-stakeholder workshops on DSI, please have a look at DSI Global Dialogues & Exchanges on this website.
The European Commission and NORAD are committed to continue engaging in the informal process to support the formal negotiations on DSI, with GeoMedia and the Mexican Centro de Colaboración Civica (CCC) as implementation partners.
