The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also abbreviated as CBD COP16, is held every second year.
Nature is life, yet we wage war against it, the top UN official told delegates gathered at the Conference on Biological Diversity, COP16.
“This is a war where there can be no winners.”
Secretary-General Guterres said temperatures are reaching new highs every year. “Every day, we are losing more species. “Every minute, we are dumping garbage trucks full of plastic waste into our oceans, rivers and lakes.”
He made it clear that you should not be under any misconception – this is how existential crises arise.
The theme of the conference organized in Kali Nagar is: General Citizen Police Conference. The conference, which will continue till November 1, discussed the role of tribal and local communities in conserving biodiversity, environmental justice and building a sustainable future.
This is the first biodiversity conference since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework in Montreal, Canada in December 2022.
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The UN Secretary General said that 75 percent of land and 66 percent of the world’s oceans have changed due to human activities.
“With each passing day, we are moving closer to the massive tipping point that will escalate hunger, displacement and armed conflict.”
In view of this, he called on all countries to implement the Kunming-Montreal Framework, which aims to halt and restore biodiversity loss by 2030.
Time to fulfill the promise
The Secretary-General said these commitments can be translated into action in four important ways. For this, countries need to develop ambitious and clear plans in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework.
In addition to finding ways to strengthen monitoring and transparency systems, financial assistance should be provided to countries in need.
The UN chief said the private sector must also be involved in the process, because those who benefit from nature cannot treat it as a free, unlimited resource. Instead, they should step forward and contribute to environmental protection and restoration.
Tribal people and local communities play an important role in efforts to protect the environment.
Protect environmental workers
The UN Secretary-General noted that tribal peoples and local communities have an important role to play in protecting the environment and are the custodians of nature. Their traditional knowledge helps conserve biodiversity, but even so, they are marginalized or threatened.
He emphasized the establishment of a permanent body under the Convention on Biological Diversity, so that the voices of tribal communities are heard during policy making.
The Secretary General in his address also mentioned the initiatives to help conserve biodiversity. These include measures to reduce deforestation in Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia, a landmark treaty on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions, and European Union legislation on nature restoration, among other initiatives.