Lessons from COP-16 in Colombia
By: Hafsah Abdi, Community Researcher at the GCC
Introduction:
COP-16, is the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). As a Youth Delegate with the United Nations Association of Canada (UNAC), I spent seven days in Cali, Colombia, attending plenary sessions and side events on topics such as global conservation efforts and traditional knowledge, hosted by civil society and academia. Colombia is renowned for being one of the most biodiverse countries in the world—second only to Brazil. Cali was the perfect host for this year’s Biodiversity COP, deeply connected to the Afro-Colombian communities of the Pacific region, as well as Indigenous groups who have long acted as stewards of the environment. ‘Paz con la naturaleza’, (Peace With Nature), marked the slogan for COP-16, a call to restore harmony between humanity and ecology.
Concretely, on the ground, side events and plenary sessions ran from nine AM to early evening, in a whirlwind buzz. COP-16 was the biggest attendance of Biodiversity COPs in history.
Image of the Children & Youth Forum on the road to Biodiversity 2030 goals
Key Observations
What stood out most to me was the acknowledgment of Indigenous peoples and women climate activists. Progress was incremental, as has been the case with previous COPs, but there were some meaningful steps forward. COP-16, for example, oversaw the recognition of genetic material and the establishment of a subsidiary body for Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples as custodians of the environment. However, progress needs to be pushed further. Youth participation, for instance, continues to be underrepresented. While youth, women, Indigenous communities, and Afro descendant communities were acknowledged throughout the conference, their critical perspectives should be a central part of the decision-making process. This needs to change. These groups must be explicitly included at every level of negotiations to ensure the solutions proposed are inclusive and actionable. In particular what remains a significant gap has been funding commitments from the Global North. A biodiversity fund has yet to be established, and without financial commitments from wealthier nations, ambitious goals will remain out of reach.
Biodiversity COPs are often overshadowed by their climate-focused COPs, but they are just as critical. Biodiversity loss is tied to rising global temperatures, sea level increases, and the collapse of vital ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. The famous 2015 Paris Agreement held partner-states to a binding agreement: warming of no more than 1.5 degree celsius, a shining example of the global solidarity the COP can accomplish.
Call to Action
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