Inside The UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16)

NBSAPs are the main instrument for implementing the GBF. They help establish a roadmap for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem protection within national borders.

These crucial national strategies pre-date the GBF and aligning them with the goals of the framework has been a focus for CBD parties in the lead up to COP16.

Countries have been encouraged to update NBSAPs to reflect a strengthened focus on human rights and inclusive, equitable ecosystem-based approaches to biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use, in line with the whole-of-society approach outlined in the GBF. Moreover, effective NBSAPS should incorporate robust monitoring and evaluation processes, to ensure effective implementation of the framework. 

Mobilizing resources for biodiversity and the implementation of the GBF remains critical. A key element of discussions at COP16 will be the update of the global Strategy for Resource Mobilization (SRM), in particular how the implementation will be financed.

COP16 will mark a significant milestone on the road to the first deadline for securing international financial resources for biodiversity. According to the framework, international finance must mobilize at least US$ 20 billion per year by 2025, contributing to the overall target of US$ 200 billion from domestic, international, public and private finance by 2030.

Meanwhile, there is growing awareness of the need for an integrated approach to resource mobilization, aligning all financial flows with biodiversity targets.

Countries are currently spending significantly more on Environmentally Harmful Subsidies (EHS) than on positive incentives for biodiversity. While a growing number of global and sectoral studies provide different ranges of EHS estimates, all of them indicate that global EHS are well over a USD trillion per year. The framework aims to correct this imbalance and calls for reducing harmful incentives by at least $500 billion per year, while scaling up positive incentives for biodiversity. The first step on this journey is the identification of EHS by governments by 2025, prioritizing action on those with the most harmful effects.

Ensuring progress on EHS reform and underscoring its connection to the GBF resource mobilization targets will be essential for closing the biodiversity financing gap.  

At COP16, it is essential to strengthen the implementation of access and benefit sharing derived from the use of genetic resources (ABS) frameworks by addressing gaps and challenges that have hindered progress, particularly for developing countries and Indigenous communities. This includes enhancing capacity-building efforts, ensuring transparency, and fostering international cooperation to ensure that benefits are shared in a way that supports both the conservation of biodiversity and the well-being of those who safeguard these resources.

In Cali, CBD Parties will aim to operationalize the multilateral mechanism for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from Digital Sequence Information on genetic resources, including a global fund to collect and disburse associated revenues.  

Advancing ABS frameworks as prescribed by the Nagoya Protocol is of critical importance at COP16. Strengthening ABS frameworks is paramount for equitable distribution of benefits, addressing biodiversity finance gaps and supporting developing countries and Indigenous communities.  

The event in Cali is expected to prioritize participation and the inclusion of Indigenous voices in biodiversity and climate discussions. Indigenous peoples have long been the custodians of some of the world’s most biodiverse regions, relying on their traditional knowledge, customs and values to manage and sustain their environments. Their practices and deep connection to the land provide unique insights into conservation and climate resilience—insights that are essential for the global community as it strives to address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. At this COP, it is imperative that Indigenous perspectives are not only acknowledged but actively integrated into the negotiations and decision-making in equitable and inclusive ways.

There are strong links between environmental change, natural resource extraction, and conflict. The Colombian government is pushing forward a Peace with Nature Coalition and is currently working to get countries to sign up. This is driven by the recognition that many economic and development processes are actively eroding the natural systems upon which we depend. Key to this initiative is a hope that the environmental cooperation and ecosystem restoration central to the GBF can potentially act as a platform for cooperation, trust-building and peace.