The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity has agreed to hold resumed sessions for COP16 and concurrent meetings of the Protocols on the 25th to the 27th of February.
These meetings have begun at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. The sessions aim to address agenda items left unresolved after the initial meeting was suspended due to a loss of quorum in the early hours of November 2.
A key focus of the resumed sessions will be the development of a new Resource Mobilization Strategy. This strategy aims to secure 200 billion annually by 2030 from all sources to support biodiversity initiatives. Additionally, it seeks to reduce harmful incentives by at least 500 billion per year by the same deadline.
According to H.E. Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development and COP16 President, the decisions made in Cali will benefit biodiversity protection and recognize the vital role of Indigenous peoples, local communities, Afro-descendent communities, and campesinos as guardians of biodiversity.
Parties are set to explore the potential establishment of a global financing instrument for biodiversity. This instrument would aim to mobilize and distribute funding more effectively. Current funding sources include bilateral arrangements, private and philanthropic contributions, and dedicated funds such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), including its Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) and the Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF).
Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, emphasized that the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali sent a powerful call to action. She stated that the synergistic implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the Paris Agreement is essential to achieving peace with nature.
The resumed sessions will also focus on finalizing tools for Parties to measure progress against the KMGBF’s monitoring framework, which includes 23 targets. Decisions made during these meetings will determine how progress toward KMGBF implementation will be reviewed at COP17.
“The World Coalition for Peace with Nature is our great legacy to the world, an urgent call to nations and citizens to take action for the planet, a commitment that invites us to change our relationship with nature, reiterating that climate justice must be collective. For this purpose, we managed to collect the signatures of 130,000 citizens in less than a week, 40 organizations, and 31 countries. This is a commitment that we will continue to build over the next two years, it is a movement that will be open and active during Colombia’s mandate as president of COP16,” said COP16 President.
The resumed sessions will further include:
- The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16),
- The eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties served as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol (COP-MOP 11), and
- The fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serves as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol (COP-MOP 5).
Astrid Schomaker highlighted the remarkable initiatives and actions presented by Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society, businesses, financial institutions, sub-national governments, cities, local authorities, women, and youth. She noted that COP 16 delivered a clear message: the time has come to make peace with nature.
Additionally, Parties will consider incorporating commitments from non-state actors, including youth, women, indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society, and the private sector. The agenda also includes finalizing the national reporting template, which incorporates headline indicators.
Finally, Parties are expected to endorse the achievements of the GEF, encourage further contributions to the GBFF, and provide additional guidance to the GEF as it prepares for its upcoming replenishment negotiations.
