Finance
At the ongoing United Nations biodiversity summit, known as COP15, which will reach an agreement on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), India has stated that support for agricultural production in developing countries cannot be shifted.
The Indian delegation, led by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav, said in a statement at the summit on Saturday that its goals and targets must be based on the principle of shared but differentiated responsibilities.
The EU urged strong and measurable 2030 targets, such as a 50% reduction in chemical pesticides, a 30% conservation of land and sea areas, and a 30% reduction in humanity’s ecological footprint, with new and additional resources from all sources.
Antigua and Barbuda, representing Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and Saint Lucia, representing the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, urged the COP to adhere to the letter and spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and to take SIDS’ vulnerabilities into account.
Chile, speaking on behalf of Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, and Mexico, emphasized their countries’ roles as biodiversity guardians and called for ambition on all fronts and across all three CBD objectives.
The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international meeting that brought together nearly 200 signatory countries with the goal of developing a global roadmap for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management and natural ecosystems for the next decade.
Participants will set new goals for nature and create an action plan for the next decade. The priority of the Canadian government is to ensure that the COP15 is a success for nature.
What is the next step?
COP President Huang Runqiu announced that a President’s text will be available for consultation with heads of delegation on Sunday at 8 a.m. (EST time) in an attempt to forge consensus on: the GBF and its monitoring framework; resource mobilization; planning, monitoring, reporting, and review; and capacity-building and technical and scientific cooperation.
In a statement, Australia announced plans to increase international public finance for nature up to 2030, building on their commitment to double development assistance funding to (Australian) $2 billion.
Switzerland urged a COP 15 outcome that was ambitious, effective, and fair, while cautioning against unrealistic financial demands. Congo advocated for the adoption of a bold framework that included a new biodiversity fund as well as strong resource mobilization, scientific cooperation, and technology transfer components.
The host country, Canada, urged participants to prioritize collaboration, compromise, and consensus over disagreement, delay, and environmental risk.
In order to ensure a positive future for nature, New Zealand has expressed its willingness to target support where it is most needed. The UK advocated for an ambitious GBF that included nature restoration, a 3030 target, and adequate funding.
Brazil stated that the core elements of digital sequence information on genetic resources and resource mobilization are critical to completing and adopting the GBF, and urged alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The current discussions will set the tone for our relationship with nature for the rest of my life,” said a Norwegian youth delegate.
Indonesia was opposed to any numerical target for harmful subsidies, whereas Japan emphasized the importance of mobilizing resources from all sources for effective GBF implementation, as well as involving all stakeholders and being innovative in terms of a successful mechanism for digital sequence information.
The COP President reiterated his call to finalize and adopt an ambitious, robust, and implementable GBF at the high-level segment closing plenary.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante stated that cities are critical partners in biodiversity conservation. Kunming Mayor Liu Jiachen reported that the Kunming Center of Excellence aims to collaborate with cities around the world to strengthen local governments’ commitment to GBF implementation.
Elder Lucy Mulenkei of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and Hector Alan Valdes Suarez of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network pleaded for an inclusive and restorative GBF that fosters collaboration between living generations while also looking after future generations in an intergenerational dialogue.
Responding to the nations’ position, NGO Avaaz, a global campaign community of over 70 million citizens, told IANS that all groups were mostly in agreement on a figure of $200 billion annually by 2030, which would include funding from all sources, international, domestic, public, and private.
Concerning international flows to developing countries, it stated that they received a strong indication that an increase is required and should be implemented.
However, it claims that there is still a wide range of views on the question of the architecture on biodiversity finance.
Some parties favor the creation of a separate fund separate from the existing funding structure. Others would prefer to improve existing funding mechanisms rather than create new ones.
Several groups discussed how establishing a dedicated fund on global biodiversity that is linked to and administered by the Global Environment Facility, the world’s largest funder of biodiversity protection, nature restoration, pollution reduction, and climate change response in developing countries, could be a good compromise.
Source:IANS
