The United Nations’ Biodiversity Summit, known as COP16, which took place over the last two weeks in Cali, Colombia, has just ended. Although perhaps that might not be the right word. After the plenary (the moment when the more than 190 countries make decisions) was postponed to start at 10 p.m. on Friday and extended all night until 8 a.m. on Saturday, the meeting was suspended due to lack of quorum.
Just when one of the most contentious issues of these negotiations was being discussed, the mobilization of financial resources, which includes the creation of a new fund for biodiversity outside of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Brazil and Panama requested a quorum count. The session had extended much longer than expected, and negotiators from several countries had to return to their respective places.
For example, Panama’s delegate explained that he was the only one left in the plenary out of the ten who had arrived in Cali. “My flight leaves in three hours,” he commented. Earlier, the representative from Fiji had warned that she was the only delegate from all Pacific islands present in the room: “Unlike other countries, we do not have the resources to change our flights,” she pointed out. The visual contrast was clear: while the spokespersons of the European Union were accompanied by several people, Panama and Fiji were surrounded by empty chairs.
This suspension does not mean that the COP16 negotiations have concluded. Another date and place will have to be established to continue them, and they could even be held virtually. The rest of the decisions made before the suspension remain valid.
**Agreements for Indigenous Peoples and Afro-descendants**
Throughout the night, COP16 managed to agree on several topics that generated controversy over the last two weeks. Among them, it was decided that indigenous peoples and local communities become a permanent advisory group to the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the ancestral knowledge of Afro-descendants be recognized, a request made by Colombia and Brazil at the beginning of the conference. These agreements were reached at the beginning of the plenary on Friday, November 1, when, theoretically, COP16 should have ended. The atmosphere was festive.
Delegates celebrate after a measure to recognize the role of Afro-descendants in conservation is approved, at the COP16 nature summit of the United Nations in Cali, Colombia, on November 1, 2024.
However, the most contentious issues were left for last. The adoption and operational rules of a multilateral body for companies, such as pharmaceutical companies, to share the benefits obtained from products created from genetic sequence information belonging to countries with high biodiversity or local communities, were approved at 7:35 a.m. on Saturday in Colombia. This issue was postponed several times during the night to progress with other less controversial elements on the agenda.
The breaking point was the discussion on finances. Specifically, the proposal led by the COP16 presidency to create a biodiversity fund independent of the GEF. Developing countries are not happy with the resources being managed by this entity. Some criticisms point out that the decision-making in the GEF involves the United States, one of the two countries not part of the biodiversity convention, and that for climate change negotiations, independent funds exist.
While African countries and many Latin American countries have requested this fund, Canada, the European Union, and Switzerland were against it during the plenary. “Creating a new fund is premature, it is something we could discuss in COP18 [to be held in four years],” said the Swiss delegate, explaining that the biodiversity fund under the GEF was created two years ago and has a deadline until 2030.
**Susana Muhamad, Colombian Minister of the Environment, presides over the closing session** of the COP16 nature summit of the United Nations in Cali, Colombia, on November 1, 2024.
**Brazil and Colombia requested a quorum review**
Amidst this discussion, Brazil – an ally of Colombia in almost all negotiations – reminded that there was a request to review the quorum for making such important decisions. Minutes later, the Colombian Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, who presides over COP16, announced that there was indeed not the minimum number of necessary representatives, and the session was suspended.
Although the convention secretariat has not issued a statement on what will happen next —as it is quite unusual for COPs to be suspended like this—, the Ministry of Environment tweeted quite optimistically: “At this time, after more than 13 hours of intense plenary and a day of arduous negotiations, we close a historic day at COP16 Colombia.”
However, not all matters were closed. And as explained by Carbon Brief, this COP16 “is officially the longest biodiversity COP in history.”
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