They wanted to bring life to the text – but not even all financing issues were agreed: the results of the World Congress for Nature in Colombia drew sharp criticism.
After hours of working on a final declaration, the World Congress for Nature concluded on Saturday in Cali, Colombia. Representatives from about 200 countries held discussions for two weeks at the 16th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity (COP16). The WWF said the end result was “embarrassing”.
Despite the applause, there was also a lot of criticism of the outcome of the World Congress for Nature in Colombia.Image: trapezoid
“After a 12-hour final plenary session, the meeting had to end abruptly, even though the agenda items had not yet been completed. There were no longer enough representatives in the room to constitute a quorum,” the Environment Foundation said in a statement. “After this conference, the goal of halting or even reversing the destruction of nature by 2030 remains elusive,” said Florian Titze, an expert on international politics at WWF-Germany.
Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), said: “It is regrettable that the World Congress for Nature did not end with a strategic decision on how to raise more funds for nature conservation. ”
At the beginning of the meeting, the main goal was set: “This is the implementation of the Conference of the Parties,” said Colombian Environment Minister Susana Mohamed.
A clear plan should be put forward
Two years ago, countries committed to a framework agreement – the World Treaty on Nature – to achieve a series of goals by 2030. For example, both sides agreed to protect at least 30% of the world's land and sea areas. In addition, industrialized countries should provide approximately US$20 billion per year by 2025 to protect biodiversity.
“Your task at this Conference of the Parties is to walk the talk,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message to delegates two weeks ago.
“This means that countries must put forward clear plans to align national measures with all the objectives of the Framework Agreement.”
The recent Living Planet Report 2024 from WWF Environment and the Zoological Society of London shows the need for action. As a result, over the past 50 years, the 35,000 wildlife species examined – including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles – have declined by an average of 73%. Latin America and the Caribbean are the most affected (95%), followed by Africa (76%) and Asia-Pacific (60%).
Differences with Southern Hemisphere countries are now even more severe
Janis Stopel, a political expert at Greenpeace Germany, explained at the end of the conference that the EU's blockade of biodiversity funds widened the gap between industrialized countries and countries in the global South.
“What was previously a positive meeting now ends in a growing pain of loss of trust.”
WWF also said the failure to agree on a global biodiversity fund had serious implications for already strained trust relationships between industrialized countries and countries in the global South.
The financing strategy was not adopted – and in the absence of this agreement and the lack of a quorum in the already half-empty room, the mechanism for countries to measure the results of its implementation was ultimately removed from the final resolution.
After all: more protection for the oceans
Highlights in Cali include breakthroughs in protecting marine areas rich in biodiversity, as well as greater engagement with indigenous peoples, local communities and their knowledge, WWF said.
Delegates agreed to establish a standing subcommittee to include indigenous peoples in future conservation discussions and decision-making. BMZ's Frasbart called this an “almost historic step.”
“I am particularly pleased that the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities are being strengthened as they play a role in global biodiversity conservation,” German Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke said in a statement at the end of the meeting. plays an extremely important role.”
“The past two weeks of intense negotiations have also made it clear that we still have a lot of work to do.”
(Sudan Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs/Associated Press)
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