16th Biodiversity Conference Fails to Reach Final Resolution (AI Translation)
Listen to the full version
文｜财新周刊 杨玉琪 徐路易
By Caixin Weekly’s Yang Yuqi and Xu Luyi
2024年11月2日早上，哥伦比亚的天空已有曙光。《联合国生物多样性公约》（下称“生多”《公约》）第十六次缔约方大会（COP16）的代表们仍在审议最后的决议。8点15分，巴拿马提出清点现场人数，大家随即发现离场的代表团已经过半，按规则无法继续表决，参会者面面相觑。8点27分，COP16以“不了了之”的荒诞方式宣告收场。
On the morning of November 2, 2024, dawn had already broken over the skies of Colombia. Delegates of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (referred to as the "Biodiversity Convention") were still reviewing the final resolution. At 8:15 AM, Panama called for a head count, and it was immediately apparent that more than half of the delegations had left, making it impossible to proceed with voting according to the rules. Attendees looked at each other in dismay. By 8:27 AM, COP16 ended in an absurd manner, dissolving into a stalemate.
非政府组织绿色和平东亚分部全球政策顾问姚喆回忆，闭幕推迟，又进展缓慢，许多代表团不得不陆续离场赶飞机回国。据英国《卫报》报道，斐济谈判代表表示，许多发展中国家没有预算更改航班，被迫放弃会议。斐济是闭幕会上惟一在场的太平洋岛国。
Yao Zhe, a global policy advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, recalled that the closing session was delayed and progress was slow, prompting many delegations to leave early to catch flights home. According to The Guardian, a Fijian negotiator mentioned that many developing countries did not have the budget to change their flights and had to abandon the meeting. Fiji was the only Pacific island nation present at the closing session.
尚未通过的COP16决议包括资源调动、监测和审查，甚至还有秘书处的运作预算。“预计COP16续会将在未来几个月召开，至少通过预算以确保秘书处的不间断运作。”地球谈判公报（ENB）写道。11月末，COP16续会确定于2025年2月25日至27日在联合国粮农组织（FAO）的罗马总部举办。
Unapproved COP16 resolutions include issues like resource mobilization, monitoring, and review, and even the operational budget of the secretariat. "The continuation of COP16 is expected to convene in the coming months, at least to approve the budget to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the secretariat," the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) noted. The continuation of COP16 was scheduled to take place from February 25 to 27, 2025, at the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
- DIGEST HUB
Digest Hub
Back
- COP16 ended without finalizing resolutions due to many delegates leaving early, illustrating funding challenges faced by developing countries in changing their travel plans.
- The conference established the "Cali Fund" for genetic resource use, but failed to agree on broader financial mechanisms, highlighting tensions over resource mobilization.
- Discussions on aligning biodiversity with climate agendas showed progress, but disagreements persisted, particularly around monitoring frameworks and ocean-related EBSAs policies.
On November 2, 2024, COP16 attendees in Colombia witnessed a unique dissolution due to a lack of quorum for voting as many delegates had left early to catch flights, resulting in an unresolved conference with several pending resolutions on crucial topics like resource mobilization and budget operations, necessitating further discussions in a follow-up meeting planned for 2025 in Rome. [para. 1][para. 2][para. 3]
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was a primary focus of COP16, aiming for protective measures covering 30% of the Earth by 2030. Despite the conference extending from October 21 to November 2 due to financial disputes and debates over establishing new financial mechanisms for developing countries, the closing session struggled to finalize critical discussions on resources and genetic data management such as Digital Sequence Information (DSI). [para. 4][para. 5][para. 7]
A novel outcome of COP16 was the proposed establishment of the Cali Fund, structured to ensure companies benefiting from genetic data contribute financially to supporting Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. However, this new institutional proposal aimed to address historical neglect of indigenous rights, catalyzing a shift towards acknowledging their rights. This aligns with broader environmental justice movements, acknowledging the environmental narrative's expansion from procedure to results through inclusive participation. [para. 6][para. 8][para. 9]
While COP16 advanced in certain areas, like enhancing synergy between biodiversity and climate efforts, the essential monitoring framework for the Kunming-Montreal Framework remained unapproved. Intended to rectify past failures to meet biodiversity goals, and to offer a robust platform to monitor progress globally and nationally, this framework's finalization lagged. [para. 9][para. 11]
Challenges in resource mobilization continued to dominate COP16 discussions. As financial gaps persisted between current fund allocations and ambitious biodiversity funding targets like $200 billion annually for biodiversity by 2025, substantial discussions ensued over strategies to phase out harmful subsidies. The only funding mechanism currently under the Convention, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), faced criticism for its burdensome procedures, leaving countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America, underfunded. Calls for a new fund to facilitate easier access to financial resources highlighted the deep-rooted systemic issues in biodiversity funding, a topic of intense negotiation within COP16, leading to a proposal for a dedicated biodiversity finance mechanism yet pending due to negotiation stalemates. [para. 13][para. 15][para. 16][para. 17]
The resolution of these financial issues remains critical for progressing the Kunming-Montreal objectives, with COP16’s closing draft document proposing long-term solutions to galvanize biodiversity finance, although achieving consensus proved difficult with underlying disagreements persisting. [para. 18][para. 19][para. 20]
An unexpected yet notable advancement at COP16 was within marine biodiversity discussions, particularly in implementing an improved Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) framework to better reflect current scientific knowledge and collaborate internationally for effective marine conservation. This work aligns with global efforts to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions, signifying a positive step toward achieving the "30 by 30" conservation goals. [para. 21][para. 22][para. 23]
Thus, while COP16 achieved breakthroughs such as the Cali Fund, it underscored that key resolutions on financial strategies, indigenous participation, and monitoring remained unfinished, necessitating ongoing global cooperation and negotiations in biodiversity conservation efforts. [para. 9][para. 10][para. 24][para. 25]
- Greenpeace
绿色和平 - Greenpeace is mentioned in the article as having a representative, Yao Zhe, who serves as the global policy advisor for Greenpeace East Asia. The representative provided insights on the challenges faced at COP16 regarding resource mobilization and the difficulties developing countries encounter with existing funding mechanisms like the Global Environment Facility. Greenpeace seems to advocate for reforms that would better support biodiversity protection efforts in developing countries.
- Beijing Green Research NGO Development Center
北京绿研公益发展中心 - The Beijing Green Research NGO Development Center is involved in biodiversity efforts. Its Project Director, Xu Jiayi, expressed initial concerns about new institutional structures delaying the Convention on Biological Diversity's progress but acknowledged the importance of procedural justice in achieving environmental justice for Indigenous Peoples.
- The Nature Conservancy
大自然保护协会 - The Nature Conservancy (TNC) China's Deputy Director of Conservation Strategy, Liu Jing, was mentioned as stating that while new funds for biodiversity protective efforts by developing countries are intended, existing mechanisms like the Global Environment Facility still hold structured project evaluations. There's concern the new funds' leniency could pose challenges. TNC also emphasizes indigenous communities’ significant roles in biodiversity protection.
- Shan Shui Conservation Center
山水自然保护中心 - Shan Shui Conservation Center's Nature Observation Project Director, Cheng Chen, emphasizes the need for collaboration between biodiversity and climate change efforts. The center highlights the potential negative impacts of renewable energy projects, like wind and solar power, on biodiversity. Cheng mentions specific instances where such projects have affected wildlife, underlining the need for more research to ensure that the development of low-carbon industries does not come at the expense of biodiversity.
- Friends of Nature
自然之友 - Friends of Nature is an environmental organization mentioned in the context of biodiversity impacted by renewable energy projects, like hydropower and wind energy. They highlight specific cases such as the threat to habitats caused by hydropower dams and wind farms affecting bird migration, emphasizing the need for balancing renewable energy development with biodiversity conservation.
- As of August 2023：
- The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) was established by the GEF.
- October 21, 2024：
- COP16 opened in Cali, Colombia.
- November 1, 2024：
- COP16 was originally scheduled to conclude, but financial debates extended the conference.
- 10 PM, November 1, 2024：
- David Cooper marked the commencement of the COP16 closing ceremony.
- November 2, 2024：
- COP16 ended in a stalemate due to the inability to proceed with voting as many delegates were absent.
- PODCAST
- MOST POPULAR
Sign in with Google
Sign in with Facebook
Sign in with 财新