Delegates attending the resumed 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reached agreement on resource mobilization and the financial mechanism. They also adopted other pending decisions that are vital to promote implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), including on monitoring and on cooperation with other relevant agreements.
The first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference was held from 21 October to 1 November 2024 in Cali, Colombia. Decisions it adopted include reviewing the alignment of national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) with the GBF, establishing a Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and other provisions related to Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), and operationalizing the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism from use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. However, following difficult negotiations on resource mobilization, the talks were suspended due to loss of quorum, leaving several decisions pending.
According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting, deliberations at the resumed session picked up where they left off in Cali. Reaching agreement on resource mobilization took significant time and effort. ENB reports that the first round of discussions was marked by “persistent divergence of views between developed and developing countries, with disagreement centering on the efficiency and equity of the global financial architecture with regard to biodiversity finance flows, the role of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the need for a dedicated financial instrument with fair and representative governance under the guidance and authority of the COP.”
Yet, consensus proved possible, owing to ample negotiating time in plenary and various informal groups that allowed delegates to build common understanding and ownership of the process and to the strategic and inclusive leadership of COP 16 President Susana Muhamad. Finally, a proposal by Brazil, on behalf of BRICS, provided a solid foundation for consensus-building,” ENB writes.
The conference also adopted decisions on:
- The GBF monitoring framework, which will assist with assessment of implementation at the national level;
- Mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting, and review (PMRR), including a global review of collective progress towards GBF implementation, which will promote transparency and accountability; and
- Cooperation with other relevant agreements, which can enhance synergies and biodiversity mainstreaming across international processes.
Citing President Muhamad, the ENB analysis of the meeting notes that decisions coming out of COP 16 give the GBF the “arms, legs, and muscles” to ensure “it does not remain an empty shell.” Per ENB, the meeting’s success also revealed a renewed commitment to multilateralism, “sending a light within dark times.”
The second resumed session of the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference convened from 25-27 February 2025 in Rome, Italy. The session resumed the concurrent meetings of the governing bodies of the CBD and its Protocols: the 16th meeting of the CBD COP, the 11th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP MOP 11), and the fifth meeting of the COP serving as the MOP to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (NP MOP 5). [ENB Coverage of Resumed Session of the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference]
