16th Conference of Parties of UNCBD inaugurated
By Malini Shankar
Digital Discourse Foundation
Cali, Colombia 20.10.24.
The 16th Conference of Parties of the United
Nations Convention on Biological Diversity was declared open today in Cali, Colombia
this evening. Sombre, yet significant the delegates are determined to make a
difference or achieve the colossal, yet ambitious targets that are so complex
by 2030. That explains why COP 16 is of such critical value. COP 16
The Targets are not as simple as planting so many million
trees even if land were to be made available. Benefit sharing mechanisms have
to be legalised through a complex web of legislation encompassing many spheres
of Human activity:
1. Gender sensitive land rights,
2. Gender sensitive food security and livelihood security
and
3. Biodiverse confirmative agro diversity,
4.
Climate Change Adaptation,
5.
Cleansing of the oceans without harm to near
shore zoo diversity,
6.
Climate Finance and Biodiversity financing
7.
Sustainable Farming
8.
Protection of 30% of the planet’s land and seas
by 2030
9.
Reducing harmful subsidies, and
10.
Restoring degraded ecosystems.
23000
delegates from 196 countries will negotiate to operationalise the multilateral
mechanism for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from us of Digital
Sequence Information on genetic resources including a global fund. Delegates have significant work ahead of
them. Countries are expected to demonstrate progress in the implementation
of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
They will negotiate to operationalize the
multilateral mechanism (established by COP 15) for the fair and equitable
sharing of benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on genetic
resources (DSI), including a global fund.
Negotiators are also expected to find common ground
on how to mobilise additional resources for biodiversity protection and
ensure they are delivered in timely fashion where they are most needed.
The focus will also be on recognizing and leveraging the
contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of
biodiversity and key partners in its conservation, restoration, and sustainable
use
The stakes at COP 16 have never been higher. The discussions
reflect the multifaceted challenges that our planet faces. More importantly,
they underscore the urgent need for collective action.
The question looming over the gathering is: Will the world be
able to turn commitments into actionable change?
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