G20 Initiative for Bioeconomy (GIB) Final Meeting
News
Tshwane, South Africa – 18–20 September 2025.The G20 Initiative for Bioeconomy (GIB) concluded its third in-person meeting of 2025 last week in Tshwane (formerly known as Pretoria), South Africa, bringing together representatives from G20 members, other invited countries, and international organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The discussions were about an economic system that harnesses biological resources to produce goods and services: bioeconomy. Delegates underscored bioeconomy’s potential to shift economies away from fossil fuel dependence and toward low-carbon models that support food security, poverty reduction, and the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
In the concluding meeting, G20 members built on the foundations laid under the Brazil G20 Presidency and continued working to scale up bioeconomy as a cornerstone of sustainable development. In Tshwane, participants consolidated progress on several fronts and called for more and stronger global and inter-ministerial cooperation. A central achievement was the recognition of the need for common standards and monitoring frameworks to guide sustainable bioeconomy development. FAO introduced a prioritization framework built on existing indicators designed to capture economic, environmental, and social dimensions, and aligned with the G20 High Level Principles on bioeconomy. The framework serves as a foundation for assessing sustainability and tracking bioeconomy progress across different geographies, products, value chains, and sectors. At the meeting, FAO also made potential arrangements and priorities for a global multistakeholder partnership on bioeconomy for sustainable food and agriculture, mandated by FAO Members.
The GIB was first launched under Brazil’s G20 presidency in December 2023 with the aim of developing a shared understanding of how bioeconomy can advance development goals while safeguarding biodiversity. Members agreed on ten voluntary and non-binding High Level Principles for Sustainable Bioeconomy to guide global efforts in promoting the potential of bioeconomy for sustainable development.
With the conclusion of South Africa’s G20 presidency, attention now turns to the UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where bioeconomy will feature in two dedicated thematic days and in the initiative “Bioeconomy Challenge” in the context of the COP30 Presidency Action Agenda. The Challenge builds on the work of the GIB and focus areas including clear metrics, financial mechanisms, and public policies and regulatory frameworks.
“The main goal of this initiative is to translate the High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy into concrete actions that directly support the implementation of countries’ nationally determined contributions, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans as well as the other Rio Conventions,” said Daniel Lodetti, the Brazilian delegate. “The aim is to demonstrate how bio-based solutions can link climate, nature, and sustainable development agendas in an integrated way.”
The momentum continues in 2026 through a series of global dialogues and intergovernmental discussions. These include the FAO Technical Committees and the FAO Regional conferences, the Global Summit “Advancing Sustainable Forest-based Bioeconomy Approaches” in Austria, and the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Ireland.
Lev Neretin, FAO Environment Team Lead, reflected: “It was deeply inspiring to witness such openness and willingness to collaborate for our common future. By coming together, we have the power to build inclusive alliances that drive bioeconomy solutions benefiting people, protecting our planet, and nurturing global prosperity.”
The Tshwane meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of G20 members and partners to advance bioeconomy as a cornerstone of sustainable development. The G20 Initiative for Bioeconomy has laid the groundwork for transformative action through its focus on partnerships, accelerating implementation, and adopting clear metrics.
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