This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano

The Inírida flower, is called the “eternal flower” because of its extraordinary ability to withstand extreme weather conditions, surviving both floods and periods of drought. Endemic to Colombia, where it grows in open savannah, this resilient plant inspired the logo for COP16, the International Conference on Biodiversity, held in Cali, Colombia, from the 21st of October to the 1st of November. This is an important event where Renewable Matter participates as the only accredited Italian newspaper (you can follow all updates at this link).

COP16 is a historic event for Colombia. A huge economic revenue is estimated, and it comes together with the creation of 5,200 new jobs, both direct and indirect, with hotel occupancy in Cali at 99%. During the summit, the country will launch an action plan that foresees a 3% contribution to the national GDP through economic models linked to biodiversity, leading to the creation of 522,000 jobs, writes La República.

What is COP16 Biodiversity

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), signed by the leaders of 150 national governments at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It aims at establishing programmes, commitments and frameworks for action to ensure the protection of the diversity of living organisms and their ecosystems. Usually the conference is organised every two years, and the last time (COP15) it took place in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada. There the parties reached a historic agreement on nature protection, the Global Biodiversity framework, or GBF in UN slang.

In 2024, two more COPs are scheduled. These will address the other two Conventions on global environmental issues signed at the Rio Summit. The COP29 on Climate Change will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan between the 11th and the 22nd of November. The COP16 on Desertification, will take place in December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Where does the COP16 Biodiversity take place

The 2024 International Conference on Biodiversity showcases representatives from 196 countries and is held in Cali, the capital city of the Valle del Cauca department in Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. ‘Peace with Nature’ is the theme chosen for this 16th edition: a call for reflection on how to improve the relationship of humanity with the environment and to think about an economic model that does not prioritise the extraction, overexploitation and pollution of nature.

“Like the eternal flower of Inírida, Colombians have learnt the keys to resilience in order to achieve lasting peace in the country's most excluded territories and those with the greatest natural wealth.” said Susana Muhamad González, president of COP16 and Colombian Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development.” Achieving transformation in our relationship with nature, as well as with our production and consumption practices, and implementing collective actions to promote life instead of destroying it, means addressing the most important challenges of our time.’

Cop16 Biodiversity has been dubbed the “People's COP” because broad participation of indigenous peoples and local communities is expected, with the aim of achieving full recognition of their role as custodians of the planet.

What are the key issues

Among the main items of COP16 Colombia agenda, there are an update on the status of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement and the presentation of countries’ National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Other central issues are the development of a monitoring framework, aiming at progressing on resource mobilisation, and the development of a multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources (DSI, Digitial Sequence Information).

COP16 Colombia 2024: how to participate (also streaming)

The Cali summit is organised into a Blue Zone and a Green Zone. The former is managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and it is exclusively reserved for countries official delegations, representatives of intergovernmental organisations, UN agencies and observers, experts and officially accredited media.

Conversely, the latter is open to the public: companies, organisations and members of civil society, who applied as partners/exhibitors, will have their space here. Members of the public who wish to visit and participate to the events can do so after registering.

Although attendance at COP16 is mainly in-person, UN web TV is live broadcasting many session. The live broadcast started with the opening ceremony, Sunday 20th of October at 11.30 p.m., and will include the opening plenary session, Monday 21st of October at 5 p.m., followed by the first two working groups at 10 p.m. On Thursday 31st of October between 1.30 a.m. and 4.30 a.m., it will be possible to follow the budget plenary session.

Blue Zone and Green Zone: the programme

The Blue Zone (full agenda here) is set up at the Valle del Pacífico Event Centre, the second largest and most modern event space in Colombia. This is the heart of COP16, where all the official sessions will be held in presence of 12 presidents of national governments, 103 environment ministers and more than 1,000 accredited journalists. More specifically, crucial decisions for the protection of global biological diversity will be taken in the Negociación area, bilateral meetings, conferences and high-level discussions will take place in the Pabellón Colombia, while groups of scientists, NGOs, indigenous communities and private sectors will share knowledge, experiences and proposals in the CBD Side-Events area.

A wide range of issues will be addressed: for example, on Tuesday the 22nd of October (HER Restoration: Gender-Responsive Ecosystem Approaches) the crucial role of women in ecosystem conservation will be discussed, even though their contribution to wetlands, mountains and marine biodiversity is still underestimated. Since the fate of rainforests is crucial for global biodiversity, on Thursday the 24th of October (Amazonía a contrareloj) discussions on how to protect the Amazon Rainforest will take place. Despite being protected by more than 511 indigenous populations, it is constantly threatened by the expansion of mining activities. On Monday the 28th of October (Modelos de financiamiento para permanencia y GBF) new financing models will be sought to support conservation and sustainability projects.

Other important events include the fifth edition of the World Biodiversity Summit (26th of October, available in streaming and managed by La Tertulia Museum), the Business and Biodiversity Forum (27th of October) and the Finance and Biodiversity Day (28th of October).

More than 220 national and international exhibitors and more than 85 grassroots economic initiatives and farmers' markets will gather in the Green Zone (full agenda here). This Zone spreads across the Bulevar del Río and other locations in the city and it is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is divided into seven thematic districts and offer more than 100 daily events including workshops, panels, conversations, networking activities, exhibitions of environmental projects and art presentations.

Italy at COP16 in Cali

Claudio Barbaro, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, will represent Italy at the summit. The Italian environmental consulting company Etifor, a spin-off of the University of Padua, is among the accredited Italian companies and it is involved in several events. The Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (AICS) - active in Colombia in biodiversity conservation, the bio-economy and the fight against deforestation - will manage a stand where, from 30 October to 1 November, Oikos ETS, an Udine-based NGO involved in international cooperation, will present the ”Catalogue of Biodiversity, a protection tool developed within the Inca Eco Tour project that focuses on endemic and endangered plants and birds”.

3Bee, a nature-tech company leader in the protection of biodiversity through innovative technological solutions, will present in Cali the 3Bee Environmental Platform. According to the company:  “COP16 represents a crucial opportunity to make the voice of biodiversity heard, with the aim of promoting the advancement of national strategies for the protection of biodiversity and supporting effective policies for safeguarding ecosystems”. More specifically, Virginia Castellucci, 3Bee's Head of Sustainability, will be giving two pitches. The first on the 25th of October from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Energy Transition promoting Biodiversity Conservation event chaired by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organisation and held at the Cali Cultural Centre. The second on the 30th of October from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Reimagining Nature with the Nature Tech Collective event chaired by the NGO Nature Tech Collective and held at the Nature Positive Pavilion in the Blue Zone.

In the words of Castellucci: “Participating at COP16 to present the 3Bee Environmental Platform means representing the most advanced innovation in the tech field within an international event entirely dedicated to biodiversity. Our aim is to discuss scientifically the measures to be taken to protect ecosystems in coordination with the highest global institutions, the real decision-makers in matters of environmental sustainability. This year's COP on biodiversity seems to have attracted a higher level of interest than in the past, both from institutions and the business world. It is the same interest we have always reserved for COPs on climate. This makes me think that the conference has the right credentials to achieve concrete outcomes and ambitious commitments to protect ecosystems and promote the adoption of innovative nature-based solutions.”

To find out more, keep following us: after covering the Montreal-Kunming agreement in 2022, from 25 to 2 November Renewable Matter will be in Cali for COP16, as the only accredited Italian publication. The journalistic coverage is realised with the support of 3Bee, united in promoting the progress of national strategies for the protection of biodiversity. Visit us in the press room!

Image: Envato