Peace with Nature is the overarching theme chosen for the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) being held in Cali, Colombia of which plenary discussions and working groups began on Monday.

Around 23,000 pre-registered delegates representing almost every country on Earth are attending.

The COP16 follows the COP15's historic adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022. The two-week meeting in Cali is expected to be a defining event in the implementation of the framework's ambitious goals and 23 targets for 2030. This includes the protection of 30 percent of the world's land and seas by 2030, reducing harmful subsidies and restoring degraded ecosystems.

Seychelles is also represented in Colombia with the local CBD focal point Indira Gamatis. 

Gamatis told SNA, "So far there has not been much consensus on quite a few of the main important topics such as mobilistion of resources, digital sequence information (DSI), capacity building or means of implementation for the KMGBF. The negotiations will be intense over the next few days."

Gamatis added that apart from the main plenary, the Seychelles' delegation will be taking part in side events as well as engaging with international partners.

The delegates at the event have significant work ahead of them as countries are expected to demonstrate progress in the implementation of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). They will negotiate to operationalise the multilateral mechanism established by COP15. This is for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on genetic resources (DSI), including a global fund. 

Negotiators are also expected to find common ground on how to mobilise additional resources for biodiversity protection and ensure they are delivered in a timely fashion where they are most needed.

The focus will also be on recognising and leveraging the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity and key partners in its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated: "For humanity to thrive, nature must flourish. Destroying nature inflames conflict, hunger and disease; fuels poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis; and damages sustainable development, green jobs, cultural heritage, and GDP. The Global Biodiversity Framework promises to reset relations with Earth and its ecosystems. But we are not on track. Your task at this COP is to convert words into action."

The Colombian Environment Minister, Susana Muhamad, and current COP President said, "Under the legacy of the Kunming-Montreal Framework, we must therefore take a step further. It is not just about implementation mechanisms, it is about fundamentally recomposing the way we live, recomposing the development model, recomposing, rethinking, and rediscovering how we live together in diversity, in a system that does not permanently make nature a victim of development, but rather our own reproduction as a society reproduces life."

This story was produced as part of the 2024 CBD COP16 Fellowship organised by Internews' Earth Journalism Network.