About Conference Of Parties (COP-15)
COP-15 was held at Montreal’s Palais des Congrès in Quebec Canada December 7-19 2023 where representatives of 188 governments out of 196 parties to the UN-CBD were physically on site as well as two non-Parties including the United States and The Vatican and Non-government organizations.
Representatives from all these entities gathered to finalize and approve measures to halt one of the most dangerous crises called the loss of biodiversity including both terrestrial and marine and as well set humanity in the direction of a sustainable relationship with nature along with clear indicators to measure progress.
The Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) was negotiated to produce the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity Framework (GBF) as well as the Convention’s Gender Plan of Action (GPA) and related items that will help strengthen global implementation to halt biodiversity loss.
Photo by CBD: After adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Biodiversity Hub International (BHI), represented by two delegates Derrick Emmanuel Mugisha and Irene Natukunda, Physically participated at the Biodiversity Conference Of Parties (COP15), where we highly advocated for inclusion of women and youth inclusion, biodiversity financing, rights-based approaches, and linkages between biodiversity and climate crises especially the need to address them together as twin emergencies.
WHY DID WE TAKE PART IN COP15, AND WHAT DID WE DO THERE?
COP15 was the biggest and most important global meeting on biodiversity in over a decade, where a global framework for addressing the biodiversity crisis was negotiated, discussed and adopted by global leaders.
Attending in-person created a tangible impact because we were able to connect, interact and share about our work with many stakeholders, potential donors and partners as well as learn from like-minded people while ensuring that perspectives and priorities of our global youth community would be considered in the discussions to finalize and adopt the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Photo by Irene NK: Our CEO Derrick Manuel Mugisha (2nd from the right) presented at the GEF Panel discussion on Building Youth-led Funding Partnerships.
WHAT HAPPENED AT COP15?
Several Plenary meetings were held to approve a series of related agreements on implementation of the GBF, including planning, monitoring, reporting and review, resource mobilization, helping nations to build their capacity to meet the obligations and digital sequence information on genetic resources from 7th to 19th when the framework was adopted.
Side events along with panel discussions were also conducted in pavilions by various networks, governments and organizations to influence development of an ambitious Global Biodiversity aFramework as well as share strategies and plan ahead for resource mobilization and implementation of the GBF after its adoption.
At the end of COP15 on December 19, parties to the UN CBD signed on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), an agreement that includes the commitment for nations to protect 30% of lands and oceans by 2030 also referred to as “30×30” or “30 by 30” and 22 other targets intended to reduce global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation.
Photo by Irene NK: With our Uganda government delegates after a meeting.
COP15 adopted a package of 6 items including:
L25: Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
L26: Monitoring framework for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
L27: Mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review
L28: Capacity-building and development and technical and scientific cooperation
L29: Resource mobilization
L30: Digital sequence information on genetic resources.
We understand that the agreement adopted is not enough to halt devastating losses of global biodiversity which established a beginning for implementation, followed by frameworks to hold each and everyone accountable to fulfill the objectives of the newly adopted Global Biodiversity Framework.
Among the adopted global targets were:
- Effective conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, with emphasis on areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services.
- The GBF prioritizes ecologically-representative, well-connected and equitably-governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories and practices. Currently 17% and 10% of the world’s terrestrial and marine areas respectively are under protection.
- Have restoration completed or underway on at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland waters, and coastal and marine ecosystems
- Reduce to near zero the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance,including ecosystems of high ecological integrity
- Cut global food waste in half and significantly reduce over consumption and waste generation
- Reduce by half both excess nutrients and the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals
- Progressively phase out or reform by 2030 subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least $500 billion per year, while scaling up positive incentives for biodiversity’s conservation and sustainable use
- Mobilize by 2030 at least $200 billion per year in domestic and international biodiversity-related funding from all sources – public and private
- Raise international financial flows from developed to developing countries,in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition, to at least US$ 20 billion per year by 2025, and to at least US$ 30 billion per year by 2030
- Prevent the introduction of priority invasive alien species, and reduce by at least half the introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species, and eradicate or control invasive alien species on islands and other priority sites
- Require large and transnational companies and financial institutions to monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity through their operations, supply and value chains and portfolios.
Warns the GBF: “Without such action, there will be a further acceleration in the global rate of species extinction, which is already at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years.”
Reflection from Biodiversity Hub International
This was the first time that Biodiversity Hub International participated in the CBD COP negotiations in-person with support from Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) who facilitated our full stay during COP-15 and We highly appreciate them for always supporting us.
We engaged in several side-events, meetings and panel discussions with our Government delegates, youth and women groups where we discussed and shared to influence inclusion of our priorities in the GBF.Our attendance enabled us to add our voices to the global call to contribute, share and support the development of an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework.
Biodiversity Hub International continues to work towards achieving a world where people live in harmony with nature by halting the loss of biodiversity, acting for climate justice, and empowering youth to be champions for nature conservation in the near future
Photo by CBD: Derrick Mugisha (1st on left) the CEO of BHI and GYBN-Uganda National Coordinator represented at the youth Press conference during COP-15.
Key Quotes
“We are finally starting to forge a peace pact with nature” Said The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres responded to the outcome of COP15.
“After 4 years of hard work, we’ve finally reached the end of the journey. We have before us the fruit of our work. A package that can guide us to halt and reverse biodiversity loss for the benefit of all people.” said Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology & Environment of China and COP15 President.
“Technology cannot replace the trees, the soil, the water, and the species that teem in them… We have no other world to flee to, When the web of life falls, we fall with it” Said Inger Undersen, Executive Director of the UNEP.
