Article 26 of the Convention states that the objective of national reporting is to provide information on measures taken for the implementation of the Convention and the effectiveness of these measures. In accordance with Article 6, measures to be addressed, in light of specific national circumstances, are reflected in the national biodiversity strategy and action plan.

An effective system of national reporting can assist the Conference of the Parties to:

• Consider the lessons learned by Parties in the implementation of the Convention
• Identify gaps in capacity for policy research and analysis at the national, regional and global levels, including technical and financial requirements
• Formulate appropriate requests and guidance to Parties and to its subsidiary bodies, the Secretariat, the financial mechanism, and other organizations with expertise relevant to the implementation of the Convention

Public availability of national reports also assists relevant actors (e.g. intergovernmental agencies, specialist non-governmental organizations and scientific bodies) to formulate focused strategies and programmes to assist Parties, individually or collectively, with implementation. This also assists individual Parties or groups of Parties to identify common issues to be addressed, thus facilitating the development of cost-effective and mutually-supportive regional initiatives for implementation.