Cali (Colombia), October 16, 2024 – The meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). began in the Blue Zone of the COP16. This meeting, which takes place from October 16 to 18, marks the preparatory phase for the negotiations that will take place at the world summit.
The main objective of this meeting is to review the status of countries' implementation of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, bringing together delegates from more than 190 countries to align national biodiversity strategies and action plans, as well as to promote the mobilization of financial resources.
At the opening of this first day, the incoming president of COP16 and Minister of Environment of Colombia, Susana Muhamad, stressed the importance of this meeting and the commitment that all countries must make to address the global environmental crises.
“We are at a time when the crossroads of biodiversity loss, climate change impacts and pollution are destroying the way of life. And we are going to need the strongest commitment from all Parties, but also the mobilization of all of society and all of government so that we can define an ambitious path to achieve transformative changes towards the sustainability of our planet, our economy and our society,” said Muhamad.
For her part, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Astrid Schomaker, highlighted the progress that has been made since the adoption of the Kunming Montreal Framework two years ago: “Over the past two years, we have seen Parties focus on developing their national biodiversity strategies and action plans. To date, 91 Parties have submitted national targets, 61 of them have one or more national targets aligned with each of the Framework's objectives, and 29 Parties have already submitted their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). This is encouraging,” said Schomaker.
CBD Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, noted that 29 countries have already submitted their action plans, which represents progress in the global implementation of the framework.
The incoming president of COP16, Susana Muhamad, welcomed delegates to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and noted that this must be the COP of implementation.
Colombia will present its Biodiversity Action Plan at the opening of COP16.
In his speech, the Vice Minister of Environment, Mauricio Cabrera, as representative of the Government of Colombia, showed the country's progress in the implementation of the Kunming Montreal Framework, highlighting that the country will present its updated National Biodiversity Plan on October 21.
“We are concerned that, despite the efforts made, a large part of the countries has not yet updated their national biodiversity measures and action plans. This delay represents a significant risk to global progress in the effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. However, Colombia is proud to have been able to present its six national targets that contribute to the 23 targets of the Global Framework and is pleased to announce that on October 21 we will launch our updated National Biodiversity Action Plan, aligned with the global targets, with an important emphasis on the integrated approach of the whole government and society,” concluded Cabrera.
The Vice Minister of Environment, Mauricio Cabrera, assured that Colombia will present its action plan on October 21, aligned with the global biodiversity goals.
This event is configured as a key preparation space for COP16, where countries are expected to make more ambitious commitments in favor of biodiversity and global sustainability.