Achievements for biodiversity at resumed meeting of COP16.2

Rome, Italy – Delegates from 139 countries convened at FAO Headquarters in Rome for the resumed meeting of the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16.2) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the meeting was a continuation of COP16, held in Cali, Colombia, between October and November 2024.

The resumed meeting was deemed a success by delegates, who were able to reach an agreement on several key issues, including a new Strategy for Resource Mobilization. This strategy will help to secure USD 200 billion annually by 2030 for biodiversity initiatives worldwide. Another key discussion point was the reduction of harmful incentives by at least USD 500 billion per year over the next five years. The Strategy will cover all sources of funding to guarantee the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

Hosting COP16.2 at FAO was a unique opportunity to emphasize the critical need to mainstream biodiversity across all sectors, particularly those influencing agrifood systems.

Kaveh Zahedi, the Director of FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, welcomed the agreement reached at COP16.2 as a significant step forward saying that “it sends a strong message that biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use must go hand in hand”.

Enhancing productivity with reduced negative impact

Agrifood systems stand at a crossroads. Parties emphasized the need to choose the path of sustainable agriculture – where priority is given to enhancing productivity to meet people’s needs while minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity.

Parties agreed on the finalization of the Monitoring Framework to measure implementation of the KMGBF, including the headline indicator for Target 7 on how to measure progress on pesticide risk reduction in addition to other key decisions that included:

• Adoption of a decision on mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting, and review;
• Adoption of a decision on the financial mechanism, including guidance to the Global Environment Facility (GEF);
• Adoption of a decision on cooperation with international organizations and other relevant agreements; and
• Launch of the new ‘Cali Fund’ for the sharing of benefits related to digital sequencing information on genetic resources.

Closing the finance gap

The decisions made by COP16.2 also provide a path to close the biodiversity finance gap and build a strong foundation to implement, monitor and ultimately achieve the ambition of the KMGBF. In the context of agrifood systems, these decisions add weight to FAO’s advocacy on the importance of agrifood transformation.

“We have made a strong case for the necessity of sustainable, efficient, inclusive agrifood systems as solutions for biodiversity loss, climate change and food security. 2030 will be here before we know it and we must maintain the momentum in progress on the resolution of these challenges,” said Zahedi.

Before the official opening of the meeting, on Monday, 24 February 2025, FAO hosted the high-level event on ‘Meeting people’s Needs through the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity within Agrifood Systems,’ in collaboration with the CBD Secretariat and the Government of Colombia. The event heard statements from FAO’s Director-General, the Ministers of Environment and Agriculture of Colombia and the CBD’s Executive Secretary, among other high-level representatives.

“The responsibility now lies with countries to translate their global agreement into concrete national actions,” Zahedi continued, “and this must include harmonizing environmental and agricultural policies.” Such an approach will ensure that national actions and investments deliver simultaneously on biodiversity and food security.

FAO will continue to work with countries and provide the support they need through the ‘Agri-NBSAPs Support Initiative’ to accelerate the integration of biodiversity into agrifood sectors and advance the implementation of the KMGBF. This Initiative will ensure that opportunities across all agrifood sectors – crops, fisheries and aquaculture, forestry and livestock – are integrated into national plans and the financing is available to deliver on biodiversity, climate, food and nutrition aspirations.