Now in the second week of Cali, financing is looking up

By Malini Shankar

Digital Discourse Foundation

The financial scenario, never a full glass nevertheless has started holding promise at Cali all the same. In a pledging session over the weekend in Cali, eight governments have pledged about additional USD 163 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. These are: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, and the government of Quebec, Canada.

Leading Philanthropies commit $51.7 Million to Accelerate the Creation of Marine Protected Areas in the High Seas: Arcadia, Becht Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Blue Action Fund, Blue Nature Alliance, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Oceans 5, Paul M Angell Family Foundation, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and Vere Initiatives announced a $51.7 million pledge to accelerate the development of high-quality Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the high seas.

Delegates gathered for the second and final week of the UN Biodiversity Conference following a weekend devoted to resolving divergences in contact and informal groups on high-stake issues. Progress was reported on many issues regarding digital sequence information (DSI), resource mobilization, and Article 8(j) (traditional knowledge), although disagreements remain on several fronts.

“Delegates approved a number of CRPs under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, including on: compliance; risk assessment and risk management; and detection and identification of living modified organisms. On items under the Convention, deliberations proved more difficult. Despite the best efforts by Chair Hesiquio Benítez (Mexico) of Working Group II, disagreements persisted in discussions of CRPs on invasive alien species, biodiversity and health, and biodiversity mainstreaming. Unresolved matters included references to the Global Invasive Species Database, actions to ensure biodiversity and health co-benefits regarding Target 13 (benefit-sharing), and future work on mainstreaming, respectively” says a Press Release. 

The contact group on Planning, Monitoring, Reporting, and Review (PMRR) continued deliberations on the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and mechanisms for PMRR. Deliberations on DSI focused on database governance, including on whether the CBD Conference of the Parties has a mandate over databases, with many highlighting CBD parties’ responsibility to take measures to ensure that databases within their jurisdiction comply with CBD decisions. 

 Negotiations continued in the evening in contact groups on climate change, synthetic biology, Article 8(j), and resource mobilization. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” one experienced delegate commented, highlighting the need for focus and resilience as per the press release.

 


 

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