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The UN Biodiversity Conference suspended earlier this year in Cali, Colombia, will reconvene from the 25th to the 27th of February 2025 in Rome, Italy, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity today, on the 28th of November, agreed to hold resumed sessions for COP16 and the concurrent meetings of the Protocols to address agenda items left unresolved following the suspension of the meeting due to loss of quorum in the early hours of the 2nd of November.
"In the weeks to come, and during our meeting in Rome this February, I will work alongside Parties to build the trust and consensus needed to achieve Peace with Nature, ensuring that the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) translate into tangible action", said Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia and President of COP16. "Securing adequate and predictable financing will be central to our efforts, enabling transformative change for biodiversity while ensuring benefits for communities and ecosystems alike."
“Strong results achieved at COP16, underpinned by a spirit of compromise and dialogue, show that multilateralism remains effective even in challenging times,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “Today’s swift agreement to conclude our discussions in early 2025 reflects the determination to maintain momentum and ensure the successful implementation of the KMGBF.”
Key Issues for the Resumed Discussions
A key focus of the resumed session is the development of a new resource mobilisation strategy aimed at securing 200 billion dollars annually by 2030 from all funding sources for biodiversity initiatives, while also cutting harmful incentives by at least 500 billion dollars per year within the same timeframe.
Parties will also explore the potential establishment of a global financing instrument for biodiversity, designed to mobilise and distribute funding effectively. Current funding comes from bilateral arrangements, private and philanthropic sources, and dedicated funds such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) including its Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) and the Kunming Biodiversity Fund (KBF).
Planning, Monitoring, Reporting, and Review (PMRR) Mechanism
Decisions will determine how progress toward KMGBF implementation will be reviewed at COP17. Parties will also consider incorporating commitments from non-state actors, including youth, women, indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society, and the private sector. Also on the agenda is the finalisation of the national reporting template, which includes headline indicators.
Financial Mechanism
Parties are expected to endorse the achievements of the GEF, encourage further contributions to the GBFF, and provide additional guidance to the GEF in light of its upcoming replenishment negotiations.
Other agenda items include decisions on cooperation with other conventions and international organisations, CBD’s multi-year programme of work, and the adoption of final reports from COP16, COPMOP11 (Cartagena Protocol), and COPMOP5 (Nagoya Protocol).
Cover: image by UN Biodiversity modified by Materia Rinnovabile