A new era for the sustainable use of biodiversity?

Rome-Cali  The 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) will open in a couple of days in Cali, Colombia and will be the first Conference of the Parties (COP) since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). In the lead up to COP16, the fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-5) started today, with the objective to review the preparation of national targets and the alignment of national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) with the KMGBF.

FAO has acknowledged the progress made by countries in aligning national targets with the KMGBF, in a statement during Plenary 2 of the SBI-5. These targets are essential in promoting sustainable food and agricultural practices to help reverse biodiversity loss.

“We recognize the efforts of countries that have taken proactive steps in linking their national objectives to the sustainable use of biodiversity,” FAO representative Christopher Pereira said. “This alignment is crucial for ensuring the health of our ecosystems and food systems alike.”

SBI-5 is a space for delegates to exchange national experiences on the development of national targets and the alignment of national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) with the KMGBF. It is also a chance to highlight challenges regarding access to finance, capacity and data gaps. The top agenda item of the SBI is to review causes of these challenges and find strategies to address them.

In delivering the statement to the Plenary, Mr Pereira noted that several countries have yet to submit their national targets or update their NBSAPs and took the opportunity to reiterate the FAO’s commitment to assist countries in overcoming challenges.

Since COP15, FAO has actively supported countries through various initiatives, including at the global level, through capacity-building and awareness-raising activities with agrifood stakeholders; regional level, by assisting with the development of regional biodiversity strategies and actions plans; and national level, by facilitating the engagement of agrifood stakeholders in national target-setting processes, for example by providing financial and technical assistance for Target 10 and other relevant targets and indicators.  

To date, FAO has supported over 40 countries to develop and implement NBSAPs and is committed to expanding this support when needed. Several countries have requested support from FAO for planning, implementation and monitoring of NBSAPs, and in response, FAO will launch an Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative, with the aim to accelerate the integration of biodiversity into agrifood sectors to achieve the KMGBF. The Initiative will be officially launched during the high-level segment of COP16, which will gather more than 120 ministers in two-weeks' time to accelerate momentum for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.