Media Contacts
-
Jacqueline Nunes
Phone: +1 416 526-7353
Email: jacqueline.nunes@natureunited.ca
COP16 left unfinished business on table Saturday morning, after an all-night session ended due to a lack of quorum.
“Held against the backdrop of devastating floods in Spain, wildfires in Jasper, droughts and food insecurity in Southern Africa, and communities around the world struggling to make ends meet, COP16 was a critical moment to accelerate action to restore some balance for people and planet,” said Shaughn McArthur, Associate Director of Government Relations with Nature United.
“Sadly, an eleventh-hour impasse in the negotiation halls postpones key resourcing and implementation decisions to another day. Fortunately, we are not leaving COP16 empty-handed: decisions on mainstreaming biodiversity into productive sectors, on ensuring the full involvement of Indigenous peoples in efforts to protect nature, and on sharing benefits derived from genetic resources are victories for which the Cali COP will be remembered.”
Hosted in Cali, Colombia, COP16 was the first full gathering of countries under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity since 2022, when 196 countries adopted the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). COP16 was a critical moment to adopt financing and implementation mechanisms operationalize the KMGBF, and support countries’ efforts to meet its goals of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030 and halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2050
Progress on key items at COP16 included:
Mainstreaming: COP16 adopted decision to help key productive sectors – such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries – become part of the solution to biodiversity loss. Canada joined a Mainstreaming Champions Group to accelerate efforts in this area.
Indigenous-led conservation: COP16 agreed to an an ambitious Programme of Work to ensure the continued integration and active engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous knowledge as integral components of effective KMGBF implementation and progress.
Climate change and biodiversity: COP16 agreed on steps to integrate climate and biodiversity finance, and encouraged countries to increase the use of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches.
Finance: COP16 adopted a new financial mechanism, the Cali Fund, to share the benefits from the use of information derived from genetic resources. The Cali Fund will dedicate at least 50% of its funds for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
By the end of COP16, 119 countries had submitted 2,716 National Targets to implement the KMGBF, though only 44 countries – including Canada, which announced its 2030 Nature Strategy in June – had submitted complete plans for implementing the agreement at home. At COP16, Canada announced $3 million towards the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership - part of a $62 million package to help other countries implement the KMGBF.
Nature United applauds Government of Canada officials, who were constructive in negotiations, championing Indigenous leadership and inclusion in conservation efforts worldwide, and keeping outcomes aligned with the KMGBF.
Quote: Shaughn McArthur
Unfinished business at COP does not mean suspending work at home. We urge the Governments of Canada to accelerate the implementation of its 2030 Nature Strategy and the opportunities it presents for our vital natural resource sectors, Indigenous-led conservation economies, and communities.
Onus on countries, others
Billed as “The People’s COP,” subnational governments, Indigenous communities, business leaders, civil society and youth attended COP16 in unprecedented numbers. These leaders, including a strong contingent from Canada, called on governments to translate plans and commitments into actions and resources that can take proven solutions to scale, and at the pace required to avoid the irreversible impacts on nature.
“COP16 has suspended, but work within countries needs to accelerate,” said McArthur. “Canada should focus on delivering what it started two years ago: Finish the Indigenous-led Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiatives, conclude outstanding Nature Agreements, and put farmers at the forefront of sectoral solutions. These are key areas where Indigenous groups, provinces, and agricultural stakeholders are poised to make significant contributions towards Canada’s Nature Strategy.”
At COP16, Indigenous leaders from around the world underscored their role as stewards of the vast majority of the planet’s natural landscapes. Delegates from British Columbia and the Northwest Territories highlighted the progress that they had made toward the establishment of large-scale PFP initiatives in their territories. Nature United joined our Indigenous partners in urging the Government of Canada to accelerate action to close and implement all four Indigenous-led PFP initiatives in Canada, in order to clearly demonstrate to the world that this globally significant commitment is on track.
The Government of Quebec continued to show leadership within the Subnational Governments’ Taskforce of the High Ambition Coalition of governments committed to implementing the KMGBF within their jurisdictions. Although absent at COP16, several other Canadian provinces and territories that have committed to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in their jurisdictions. Nature United called on the Government of Canada and Manitoba to accelerate progress towards a Nature Agreement in that province, building on precedents already set in other provinces and territories.
More than one thousand business leaders attended COP16, underscoring their readiness to work with governments to bring nature onto balance sheets and create new opportunities to invest in nature. They urged policymakers to advance sectoral policies, nature-based disclosure, subsidy reform, standards and data to help create conditions needed to align global finance with the KMGBF. Nature United joined other stakeholders in highlighting the forthcoming Sustainable Agriculture Strategy – anticipated as the first productive sector policy framework under Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy – as an opportunity to launch a Sustainable Agricultural Growth Initiative to orient agricultural value chains to deliver solutions for nature, climate and rural prosperity.
“Unfinished business at COP does not mean suspending work at home,” said McArthur. “Nature United and our partners urge the Governments of Canada to accelerate the implementation of its 2030 Nature Strategy and the opportunities it presents for our vital natural resource sectors, for Indigenous-led conservation economies, and communities across the country.”
Nature United was founded as a Canadian charity in 2014, building on decades of conservation in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, our organization has field staff located across the country. Nature United supports Indigenous leadership, sustainable economic development and science and large-scale conservation, primarily in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba. Our organization is also working to accelerate Natural Climate Solutions at national and regional scales. To learn more, visit natureunited.ca or follow @natureunited_ca.
We are the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization with more than a million members and a diverse team that includes more than 400 scientists. Our global organization works in 79 countries — either directly or through partnerships — to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press.