The COP16 on biodiversity resumes this Tuesday in Rome to continue the negotiations that did not conclude in Cali, Colombia, in 2024.
Three days of negotiations will take place to unlock the “North-South” deadlock on financing for nature conservation.
“The most important mission of humanity in the 21st century,” described Susana Muhamad, Colombian Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, and president of the summit.
The COP16 on biodiversity resumes in Rome: key points of debate
The main debate revolves around a policy that has the “power to unify the world,” according to Muhamad. “Which is no small feat in a highly polarized, fragmented, divided, and conflictive geopolitical landscape,” said the minister in her opening speech.
She emphasized that what is at stake is “the most important mission of humanity in the 21st century, that is, our ability to sustain life on this planet.”
This was expressed at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome.
What happened in Cali
COP16 (Photo: EFE)
In early November, the 16th Conference of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded in Cali without resolving a heated dispute between developed and developing countries over their collaboration to release funds.
The necessary funds are to halt the destruction of nature from now until 2030.
The main objective seeks that by 2030, 30% of the land and sea are protected areas, as opposed to the 17% and 8% currently, according to the UN.
If this program fails, experts warn of a great risk to human food supply. Additionally, it would harm air quality, climate regulation, and the health of the planet’s ecosystems.
Negotiations resume for the COP16 on biodiversity.
Debates in Rome
This Tuesday morning, around 300 representatives from 154 countries are gathered in the main hall of the FAO overlooking the ruins of the Circus Maximus.
Far from the 23,000 participants in Cali, the session resumed in a reduced format. There are 1400 accredited people, mostly civil society observers and experts. Only 25 countries are represented at the ministerial level.
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