Global leaders gather at COP16 to tackle urgent biodiversity crisis and climate change

The nature-inspired choreography marked the launch of the 16th Biodiversity Summit, which officially commenced on Monday with global biodiversity conservation and restoration talks.

Representatives from governments, scientists, environmental campaigners, indigenous groups, and others attending the summit are focused on addressing urgent global challenges related to biodiversity protection and restoration.

The summit aims to accelerate countries' progress in adopting practical, localized solutions to "make peace with nature," as the world faces interconnected planetary crises.

Scientists believe biodiversity destruction and climate change are key drivers of both predicted and unforeseen ecological, social, and economic disasters. These challenges call for multilateral processes with actionable outcomes, which they deem critical for humanity's survival.

In her opening remarks, COP16 President Susana Muhamad, who is also Colombia’s Environment Minister, emphasized that the summit offers another opportunity to correct past failures in biodiversity conservation and restoration, and to create conditions that support sustainable communities.

"How is it that ants can organize themselves and achieve remarkable results? Let’s hope that COP16 can emulate the ants and mobilize us to achieve peace with nature," Muhamad said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the delegates virtually, urged meaningful engagement with practical results to enhance human dignity.

"For humanity to thrive, nature must flourish. Destroying nature fuels conflict, hunger, disease, poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis. The Global Biodiversity Framework offers a chance to reset our relationship with the Earth," Guterres stated.

The Conference of Parties (COP16) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place in Cali, is focused on implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). With biodiversity in significant decline, threatening over one million species and billions of human lives, the KMGBF seeks to halt and reverse nature loss by setting global targets for 2030 and beyond.

COP16 is the first Biodiversity Conference of the Parties since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in December 2022, in Montreal, Canada.

During the two-week summit, parties to the Convention, including Kenya, are expected to demonstrate the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the global framework's objectives.