ASEAN member states join call to make peace with nature at COP 16
CALI, Colombia — Environment officials from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) joined some 15,000 delegates representing over 190 countries in the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16), the biggest global dialogue on biodiversity.
According to the Secretariat of the CBD (SCBD), the two-week meeting in Cali is expected to be a defining event in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s ambitious goals and 23 targets for 2030, including protection of 30% of the world’s land and seas by 2030, reducing harmful subsidies, and restoring degraded ecosystems. Countries are expected to demonstrate progress in the implementation of the KM GBF.
The opening ceremonies were graced by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres (via video), and Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s Environment Minister and COP 16 President.
Key issues discussed at COP 16
The SCBD shared a number of key issues being discussed in Colombia. These include the progress of KMGBF implementation of parties reported through their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans; digital sequence information; biodiversity financing; roles of indigenous peoples and local communities in safeguarding biodiversity; climate change; biodiversity and health; invasive alien species; risk assessment and risk management; and marine and coastal biodiversity.
As of writing, 35 NBSAPs have been received and 149 parties have submitted their national targets.
The Secretariat reported that under biodiversity financing, negotiations will assess whether a new global funding mechanism is necessary to secure USD 200 billion per year for biodiversity. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the world is still 23% short of meeting the target for 2025. Existing mechanisms such as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Kunming Biodiversity Fund created by China provide significant progress. However, challenges arise from the lack of commitment from funding sources. Other options to bridge the gap include biodiversity credits, the private sector blended financing, and multilateral development banks among others.
Lao PDR, the current chair of ASEAN, expressed its appreciation for the establishment of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. “We encourage Parties, in particular developed country Parties and other Governments that are in a position to do so, as well as the private and financial sectors and philanthropic organisations, non-governmental organisations and non-sovereign entities and other stakeholders, to make contributions or further contributions to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund in order for it to continue its rapid capitalisation to support the implementation of the Framework,” said Mr. Soukvilay Villavong of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR, as he takes the floor during the session on resource mobilisation and financial mechanism.
ASEAN at COP 16
ASEAN, composed of 10 member states including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, recently adopted its own biodiversity framework called the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan (ABP).
“ASEAN’s very own regional biodiversity framework will ensure that the global biodiversity targets and ASEAN’s vision and priorities, which call for coordinated regional
activities, complement each other and the member states’ National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. This will not be a duplication of national efforts, but a mechanism to identify common priority areas and reinforce support for targets that need more resources and capacity development support,” said Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).
The ACB, an intergovernmental organisation facilitating cooperation among the AMS for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, was also recently designated by the SCBD as one of the regional/subregional technical and scientific support centres for the implementation of the KMGBF in Asia.
The ABP will be launched in a COP 16 side event called Road to Living in Harmony with Nature: The ASEAN Way on 28 October in Cali, Colombia.
The ACB and the AMS likewise showcase knowledge products and regional conservation efforts in the ASEAN Pavilion, a physical hub for knowledge sharing located at the Blue Zone of Centro de Eventos Valle del Pacífico, the official venue of COP 16. Side events organised by the ACB, the AMS, and partners are also being held at the pavilion. The ASEAN Pavilion was co-presented by the ACB and the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
