Recently, The two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference of Parties (COP16) commenced in Colombia, gathering environmental leaders from nearly 200 countries to assess and evaluate historic commitments made to protect global biodiversity. The conference aims to address urgent environmental challenges, strengthen conservation efforts and ensure the sustainable use of ecosystems in light of the escalating biodiversity crisis.
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Key Highlights of the Conference-
Timeline: 21 Oct 2024- 01 Nov 2024
Venue: Cali, Colombia
Participation: nearly 200 countries
Aim: halting and reserving the loss of biodiversity
Logo: Inirida flower (an endemic plant decorated with 36 petals)
Slogan: Peace with Nature
Objectives-
- Strategy to combat the rapid destruction of natural habitats.
- Ensure compliance with the 2022 Biodiversity Accord.
- Countries are expected to commit to setting aside 30% of their land for conservation and to cut subsidies for industries that harm the environment.
- Also, to establish mandatory reporting for companies on their environmental impact, promoting transparency and accountability.
- To improve biodiversity monitoring and resource mobilisation for the Global Biodiversity Framework.
- To establish a system for fair distribution of the advantages that come from using digital sequence information on genetic resources.
Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s Environment Minister and COP16 President, emphasised the conference’s importance as a platform to share experiences from diverse cultures and civilizations, with the goal of creating stable and livable conditions for future societies in light of the ongoing environmental crisis.
About United Nations Biodiversity Conference and Its History-
- The UN Biodiversity Conference of parties (COP) is the regular meeting of countries who have signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD secretatiat is based in Montreal, Canada.
- CBD is an global biodiversity agreement with the aim “living in harmony with nature by 2050”.
- Also, the convention was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
- COP 1 took place in Nassau, Bahamas in 1994 while COP 15 took place in Montreal, Canada in 2022.
Objectives of CBD-
- The conservation of biological diversity.
- The sustainable use of its components.
- The fair and equitable sharing of the advantages of biological diversity.