Colombia hosts the COP16 on Biodiversity from October 21 to November 1, a meeting under the umbrella of the UN in which the countries of the world will discuss and negotiate agreements to protect nature and stop the destruction of the planet’s natural resources.
(Read here: The ABC to understand what COP16 is and what is the purpose of this event)
Cali, capital of the department of Valle del Cauca (southwest), is the city chosen by the Colombian Government, which has made a great commitment to this summit with the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, at the helm, and So far 10 heads of state have been confirmed to participate.
What is a COP
It is a Conference of the Parties (COP), an international meeting where countries come together to discuss and make decisions on global environmental issues.
In 1992, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro Three conventions were born: the one on climate change, which is held every year and is the best known, the one on biodiversity and the one on desertification, the latter of which are biennial.
This year all three coincide: the COP29 on climate change that will take place between November 11 and 22 in Baku (Azerbaijan); the COP16 on Biodiversity, which will have place in Cali (Colombia) and the COP16 on desertification, from December 2 to 13 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
A new version of the COP
@COP16Official
The Colombian COP
The 16th edition of the Biodiversity COP arrives in Colombia after Turkey, which was going to be the host, gave up holding it due to the emergency suffered by the 2023 earthquakes. Since then, the Colombian Government has made this meeting one of its flags.
(See here: Latam Airlines Colombia will have more than 200 flights to Cali during COP16)
This event will bring together more than 190 countriesobserver organizations, youth groups, civil society, academia and the general public and Cali will be divided into two to host them: the Blue Zone will be the institutional space where high-level negotiations will take place and the invited heads of state will participate, and the Green Zone, which will be the setting where the activities of organizations and civil society will take place.
What will be discussed in Cali
The focus will be on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Framework, approved at the last summit, held in Canada, whose main objective is to protect 30% of the planet, including terrestrial, marine and freshwater areas, converting them into protected areas by the end of this decade and restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems.
Additionally, the Framework places emphasis on the restoration and protection of critical ecosystemssuch as rainforests and wetlands, which are essential for biodiversity and climate balance.
Colombia has set three goals for this summit: financing the fulfillment of climate goals, which the minister has admitted will be the most critical point of the negotiations; establish a framework for access to benefits from digitalized genetic chains and genetic resources, and the evaluation of countries’ actions to meet the 23 biodiversity goals for 2030.
COP 27 takes place in Egypt.
EFE
‘Peace with nature’
“Peace with nature” is the motto chosen by Colombia and with the message: “Nature gives us the last warning to stop this suicidal war. Destroyed forests, animal trafficking, illegal mining, extinct species, polluted rivers and seas. We are all called to action and we have the opportunity to be part of the change.”
On the other hand, the Ministry of the Environment has emphasized the participation of indigenous people with a multitude of previous events and mobilizations with the aim put into the approval of a global work plan for ethnic peoples as custodians of biodiversity.
(Follow here: Investments in sustainability, keys to Colombia’s international positioning)
The security
In recent months, eyes have been focused on security in Valle del Cauca, one of the departments where violence has worsened the most after the Government’s disagreements with armed groups. It is also a neighbor of Cauca, a bastion of the Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident group of the FARC.
In this context, the Government has reiterated that the normal development of the summit is guaranteed with an extensive security operation in addition to the UN Police that will guard the Blue Zone.
However, after the Army offensive against a faction of the EMC in the hamlet of El Plateado last weekend, that group threatened COP16 and recommended “the delegates of the national and international community refrain from attending this event.”
Faced with this threat, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, responded in a message on X: “The security of COP16 is guaranteed.”
EFE
