Biodiversity for Life (B4Life)
The EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) flagship initiative was launched in 2015 to help partner countries protect ecosystems, combat wildlife crime and develop green economies. One of several flagship initiatives developed under Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC) thematic programme, it took the approach of emphasising the economic benefits of protecting biodiversity and ecosystems in the interest of sustaining livelihoods and reducing poverty.
At the end of the GPGC programme, under the NDICI – Global Europe programme, it became B4Life 2.0 with a focus on providing technical assistance to improve the financial contribution as well as the quality, impact and sustainability of the European Commission’s external actions in support of biodiversity and nature at a national, regional and global level. It builds on the former B4Life Facility (2014-2023) and B4Life Crisis (to end 2024) and is part of the European Green Deal Knowledge Hub, which encompasses all the technical facilities of INTPA Directorate F.
B4Life 2.0 contributes to:
- supporting an integrated approach to conservation and development in EU supported landscapes;
- mainstreaming biodiversity across all sectors of intervention of the EU’s cooperation and technical assistance in line with the EU Green Deal and EU policies and the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF);
- enhancing the capacity of EU staff and relevant development partners on biodiversity;
- strengthening the position and perception of the EU as a global leader in biodiversity conservation and implementation of the GBF.
B4Life 2.0 will strengthen the links between biodiversity protection and human rights, gender, health, education, conflict sensitivity, the rights-based approach, land tenure and the role of indigenous and local communities. It will promote the use of innovative finance options and can also provide services under Global Gateway investment packages.