The foreign ministers of Colombia and Costa Rica, Luis Gilberto Murillo and Arnoldo André, They announced, this Sunday, October 27, the creation of the fund to finance the protection of biodiversity in the Chocó Biogeographic, that covers the Pacific coast from Panama to Peru.
(See: Balance: what COP16 in Cali means after its first week of work).
According to Murillo, this announcement begins the “high level segment“of the Cali COP16, which will take place in the week of October 28 to November 1 and in which it is expected that dialogues and negotiations in favor of biodiversity are intensified.
According to diplomats, they already work hand in hand with the governments of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, to ensure the care of maritime, coastal and forest ecosystems.
“This corridor is one of the most biodiverse in the world due to its high endemism, which represents a high interest for the entire world. Likewise, we work together in actions with the protection carried out through the CMAR (Eastern Pacific Marine Corridor). Tropical)“said Murillo, who comes from the Colombian department of Chocó.
The chancellor indicated that this multinational fund will allow mobilizing resources that benefit black, indigenous and peasant communities that “have the care of biodiversity among their cultural commitments.”
According to the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, the fund will be discussed with other governments within the framework of COP16 and they hope “that there will be many” resources that they manage.
(See: Cupid and Eros ‘evicted’ from Cali motels to host COP16 delegates).
“We will invite the CAF (Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean) to manage the eventual resources for the benefit of biodiversity and local populations”André said.
Migration, also on the agenda
The vice chancellor of Colombia, Jorge Rojas, assured that within the framework of the negotiations there will be talk of overflowing migration as a key issue for strategies to care for the environment.
(See: Lessons from covid and Ebola at COP16: ‘protect the planet to avoid viruses’).
“We agree with Costa Rica that the ordering and regulation of migration is very important, where we will review issues such as the Darién Gap in Panama, in addition to the other countries in Central America and the United States.”Rojas indicated.
The border between Colombia and Panama, integrated into the Chocó Biogeographic, has become the migratory passage of tens of thousands of people trying to reach the United States through the dangerous Darien jungle.
Finally, both governments confirmed that they will continue in bilateral meetings in the COP16 Blue Zone, where they will also address issues such as ecological and community tourism.
(See: ‘The most effective agent for deforestation is livestock’: Sinchi Institute).
EFE
