(c) UN Biodiversity
Today’s blog is written by Fiona Dobson, International Policy Officer, on the cusp of the long-awaited Convention on Biological Diversity COP15, on what’s at stake, and what we’re looking to see from this monumental summit.
“Our world leaders should follow the example of the birds, and these dancers, at COP15, and cooperate to create something beautiful - a plan for the future of nature” says Sadeck Waff, choreographer of this amazing ‘human murmuration’ video which is part of the Urgent Conversation campaign.
It seems hard to believe, but after multiple years of delays, and a long and bumpy road, the long marathon to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is finally reaching its sprint finish. Starting next week – preceded by a last-minute working group meeting – the COP15 will bring thousands to Montreal to work together to agree a new global plan to save nature.
Many have been touting this COP (conference of the parties – the name given to these global meetings) as the potential ‘Paris moment for nature’. This is in reference to the landmark COP in 2015 under the CBD’s sister climate agreement (the UNFCCC) where the Paris Agreement was agreed, significantly shifting the global perspective on climate action. But what will it take to make this COP that kind of monumental moment? Here we remind you what’s on the cards, and what we’re looking to see.
A reminder of what’s at stake
To refresh your memory, the Convention on Biological Diversity is the UN multilateral environment agreement which brings together countries from all over the world to collectively take decisions on how to
Roughly every 10 years, Parties under the CBD agreed what are known as ‘Strategic Plans’ – which act as decadal frameworks for global action for nature. And that’s why the COP is so important – it’s where countries are due to agree the next global framework for this decade, to guide action up to 2030. Due to the delays, we’re already almost into the third year of this decade, and there’s not a moment to waste. COP15 is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to agree an ambitious global framework to tackle biodiversity loss, and crucially is a chance to put the mechanisms in place to ensure it is achieved (unlike the previous frameworks).
A heavy burden
This is no easy task; over the multiple years of negotiations on this new framework, consensus has been hard to find, and going into COP at last, the picture looks far from rosy. The last formal preparatory negotiations took place in June, and made woefully inadequate progress. Since then, attempts have been made to suggest solutions, including at an informal meeting in September, but it’s yet to be seen whether all Parties will accept the suggested changes to the text.
A few particularly ‘sticky’ issues remain, not least the issue of finance (How much money will be put on the table? Will developing countries feel supported to be able to deliver action); the complex topic of ‘Digital Sequencing of Information’ (What does a solution look like to the issue of sharing and receiving benefits from genetic sequencing?), and the overall question of ambition (Will these targets go far enough to really deliver the transformative change required?).
What’s the recipe for success?
All that said, we are in a biodiversity crisis, and it’s clearly vital that countries arrive in Montreal ready to work urgently, in a spirit of compromise and ambition, and with a strong sense of trust. This was somewhat lacking in the Nairobi meetings, but we’re hopeful that at the COP itself, countries will finally see fit to rise to the occasion and the scale of the challenge.
We, alongside many others, have been very concerned about the lack of political attention being given to COP15. Heads of State have not been officially invited, serving a blow to our hopes of ‘making CBD famous’. There are still strong calls on leaders to attend and till time to make this happen. You can add your voice to our Urgent Conversation campaign speaking to our Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in particular!
In short, a recipe for success will be:
And very importantly a strong helping of good Canadian food and the chance for plenty of sleep to keep morale high!
What we’re looking to see
As part of the recipe for success, below we lay out the 5 elements that are essential for a successful framework:
Nature is in crisis, but together we can save it
This COP is taking place in the face of multiple crises around the globe and it may seem that genuine change for the better seems like an insurmountable task. But as with any challenge ‘it takes a village’ to make progress - and COP15 is a vital piece of that community working for change.
To bring hope for the weeks to come, take a look at our recent ‘human murmuration’ video as part of the Urgent Conversation campaign. In the words of choreographer Sadeck Waff, “This performance is about recovery and hope. It is inspired by the murmuration of birds and the beauty they create when they move as one. When you see the passion of these young dancers working together, you can’t help but feel hopeful. Our world leaders should follow the example of the birds, and these dancers, at COP15, and cooperate to create something beautiful - a plan for the future of nature”.
Watch this space
We’ll be in Montreal for the duration of COP15 as part of the BirdLife International Delegation working hard and advocating for a strong global biodiversity framework that can deliver a Nature Positive world by 2030. We’ll be reporting on progress, so stay tuned!
Further reading:
Check out this page on the BirdLife International website to learn more about our detailed policy positions for the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: https://www.birdlife.org/projects/the-post-2020-global-biodiversity-framework-a-now-or-never-opportunity-for-nature/