The Philippines has won the gold award on December 18, 2022, as part of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the CBD (CBD COP 15) in Canada, for achieving the "most substantial progress" in creating the current national Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) website, which makes biodiversity information available in the nation.
The CHM acts as the information-sharing platform for the CBD, or Convention on Biological Diversity, of the United Nations.
Significant data are made accessible through CHM websites to aid in the creation of science-based, biodiversity-relevant policies and regulations by policymakers.
Aside from the Philippines, Mexico and Malaysia both received silver honors.
On the other side, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations CHM was awarded a certificate of achievement for already being a regional CHM.
The national CHMs of the ten ASEAN member states can be accessed through the ASEAN CHM as a single point of access.
Additionally, it provides a range of services to help ASEAN member states with conservation planning, monitoring, and decision-making, such as biodiversity information, tools, and resources.
Among other regional assessments that can be used as a base for the prioritizing and conservation of species and protected areas, it highlights the regional state of protected areas.
The purpose of the CHM awards, according to CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema in a press release, is to inspire other nations to establish CHM platforms by recognizing those who have made the most significant strides in doing so.
The criteria for the CHMs' content, online services, design and functionality, visibility and consumption, content management, and governance were used to select the awardees.
