On 30 October during the 2024 UN Conference on Biodiversity (CBD COP 16), participants at a High-Level Reception heard about how the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) Accelerator Partnership (AP) is helping to implement action and to learn about new commitments from countries.

The event highlighted NBSAPs as the foundation for moving forward at the national level, with 117 countries having already submitted national targets, and 39 having submitted updated NBSAPs. Speakers discussed the NBSAP AP’s MatchMaking Mechanism as a crucial tool for driving momentum and providing tailored approaches that align donor priorities with countries’ needs, while also addressing gaps in funding, capacity, and technical expertise.

During the event, Germany announced it EUR 15 million pledge to push the MatchMaking Mechanism forward and said, by the end of 2024, in-country facilitators will begin supporting 12 countries in their efforts to identify gaps in finance and expertise so suitable, tailored solutions can be found. Norway, noting its commitment of CAD 2 million at COP 15, said it has decided to triple this amount to CAD 6 million and to support this work with NOK 4 billion through 2035. Canada committed USD 3 million to the NBSAP AP, supporting seven countries in developing gender-responsive NBSAPs. The EU highlighted its EUR 69 million capacity-building package, while China noted its annual contribution of USD 15 million to the Kunming Biodiversity Fund.  

The reception was hosted by the Governments of Colombia and Germany, and the NBSAP AP. 

A high-level thematic ministerial dialogue discussed how sustainable development can only be achieved through peace among people, peace between people and nature, and respect for human rights. Astrid Schomaker, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Executive Secretary, repeated the 2020 words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stating that humankind is at war with nature, and this war is relentless and suicidal. 

COP 16 President María Susana Muhamad González noted Colombia’s journey from 60 years of armed conflict to a focus on peace and environmental issues. She said the war impacted biodiversity and fueled illicit economies and activities that worsened the conflict. However, she added that, as the peace process advanced, Colombia began to recognize that using nature to restore affected regions aligned with its climate commitments and could rebuild communities. Muhamad called for shifting from a culture of debt to one of solidarity and peace among nations.

Parties and observers welcomed the Declaration of the World Coalition for Peace with Nature, especially its role in elevating environmental justice.

Speakers highlighted:

• That the origins of “war on nature” are often rooted in a battle against hunger, poverty, and disease;
• Links between resource scarcity and conflict;
• Peace with nature requires alternative economic models of development and changing from an economic order of markets to an order of care, based on communal values and human rights;
• Peace with nature means peace with Indigenous Peoples, who have been living in harmony with nature for millennia; 
• Struggles with human-wildlife conflicts and steps towards co-existence; and
• A new societal consensus around transformation that is needed, and that such consensus is only possible with the maximum inclusion of people.

The event was organized by the COP 16 Presidency with financial and technical support from the Government of Germany.

During a high-level ministerial lunch, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) launched the Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative, which aims to guide countries to achieve the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) through biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices. The initiative is expected to be a key mechanism for accelerating biodiversity in the agrifood sector and for providing targeted support for countries to meet their GBF commitments. Four key outputs of the initiative are: an enabling environment for NBSAP implementation; evidence-based implementation; access to finance; and building knowledge. 

Ministers and high-level representatives from many countries then intervened in support of the Initiative, highlighting their views on integrating the agrifood sector into NBSAPs, and agreeing such integration is a crucial step for countries to promote biodiversity conservation, food security, and nutrition.

The event was organized by FAO and the COP 16 Presidency.