RCMRD officially launched its mandate as a TSC Support on January 27, 2026.

This initiative aims to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Eastern and Southern Africa. The TSC will facilitate collaboration, capacity building, and the exchange of technical expertise to address environmental challenges in the region, aligning with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). Formalized with a host agreement signed on July 18, 2025, during the 20th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), RCMRD's mandate as a TSC Support Centre aims to bridge science, policy, and implementation. Established by the Conference of the Parties (COP) in 2022, the TSC mechanism strengthens regional collaboration, capacity building, and technology transfer to accelerate biodiversity action. The Centre plays a vital role in implementing Decision 15/8 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which calls for enhanced technical and scientific cooperation, strengthening regional support networks, and developing centres of expertise to assist countries in achieving global biodiversity targets. The Centre responds to this mandate by promoting and facilitating technical and scientific cooperation among Member States to enable the effective use of science, technology, and innovation in support of implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). RCMRD joined the global network of 18 Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centres, including five in Africa. RCMRD supports 12 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Comoros, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia.

Key Objectives:

The Centre is committed to achieving the following objectives:

1. Facilitating partnerships among governments, research institutions, communities, and other stakeholders to address shared biodiversity challenges.

2. Building technical capacity by providing training, mentorship, and resources to enhance conservation expertise across the region.

3. Developing and sharing tools and technologies for monitoring, managing, and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

4. Supporting national biodiversity strategies by assisting countries in aligning their policies with international frameworks, particularly the KM-GBF and Decision 15/8.

5. Promoting knowledge exchange through platforms that enable data sharing, research collaboration, and the dissemination of best practices.

1. Conducting Capacity Needs Assessments

Undertaking assessments to identify country-level priorities and technical gaps in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), providing member states with evidence-based diagnostics that inform targeted capacity-building interventions.

2.Strengthening Regional Technical Cooperation and Capacity Development

Enhancing technical collaboration among Member States by facilitating knowledge exchange and delivering technical training and scientific support to build the institutional and human resource capabilities required for effective KMGBF implementation at national and regional levels.

3. Establishing Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Systems

Ensure the long-term sustainability of biodiversity-related programmes, including forging alliances with multilateral institutions, development partners, research institutions, and financing mechanisms that support member states in accessing and leveraging resources for biodiversity conservation and management.