Judges Day is one of the major parallel events that will be held during the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17). It will comprise two complementary events: (1) Launch of the Model Framework Forest Act – From Global Partnership to the Legal Protection of Forests; and (2) Judicial Dialogue on Nature: The Role of the Courts in Biodiversity, Climate, Water and Forest Protection.

CBD COP17 marks the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), providing an important opportunity to assess whether international commitments and national biodiversity targets are being translated into measurable actions and outcomes. Effective implementation of the KMGBF requires more than policy commitments. It depends on sustained collaboration among legislatures, executive agencies, regulators, courts, communities, and other stakeholders, as well as integrated responses to the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, deforestation, climate change, water insecurity, land degradation and pollution.

By linking biodiversity legal frameworks and justice institutions, Judges Day offers the wider CBD COP17 community a unique platform to examine how global biodiversity commitments can be embedded in domestic legal frameworks, implemented by capable and accountable institutions, and enforced through the rule of law. In doing so, it helps bridge the gap between international commitments and practical implementation on the ground.

Judges Day brings together strong legal frameworks and courts as two parts of a single environmental-rule-of-law continuum:

• The first event of the Judges Day is the Launch of the Model Framework Forest Act – From Global Partnership to the Legal Protection of Forests, which focuses on the legislative architecture needed to protect forests and biodiversity. It presents a modern, coherent, and adaptable framework that countries may draw upon when designing or enhancing national and subnational forest laws. By linking forest governance with biodiversity, climate resilience, ecosystem services, rights, institutions, incentives, implementation and enforcement, the Model Framework Forest Act seeks to support domestic legal frameworks capable of advancing the KMGBF in diverse national contexts.
• The second event of the Judges' Day is the Judicial Dialogue on Nature: The Role of the Courts in Biodiversity, Climate, Water and Forest Protection, which turns to the role of courts in interpreting and applying environmental law, enforcing legal obligations and devising remedies in cases properly brought before them. It provides a forum for comparative judicial exchange on biodiversity, forests, climate, water, pollution and land, bringing together judges from numerous jurisd