New York, United States (26 September) – With just weeks to go until the Convention on Biodiversity’s COP16 meeting starts in Cali, Colombia, and with less than 6 years left to deliver on the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) governments gathered in New York on the sidelines of UNGA79 to announce plans for progressing on the 30×30 target, as well as new initiatives to deliver on nature finance commitments made as part of the K-M GBF.
This High-Level Event ‘Leveraging ambition for 30×30 and Beyond: The Road to CBD COP16’ took place on September 24th and encompassed both a closed-door Ministerial roundtable on resource mobilization and then a high-level reception on progress towards 30×30. The proceedings saw world leaders and representatives from across civil society come together to send a strong signal that they remain committed to delivering on the promises made at COP15 in Montreal.
To open the evening’s proceedings guests were welcomed by a video message from the Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize and United for Wildlife, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales who reminded guests that:
‘“I believe we can and must change our relationship with the natural world. I am committed to doing my part through the United for Wildlife partnership, which is taking on the illegal wildlife trade, and through The Earthshot Prize, where we aim to nurture, accelerate, and scale ground-breaking innovations that will repair and regenerate the planet whilst driving prosperity for all. I believe that if leaders worldwide commit to work together, accept that change is no longer a choice but an imperative, and join with businesses, communities, innovators, and citizens to take bold, perhaps challenging, and creative steps, we can meet our commitments to each other and the future generations.”
Compere for the evening Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Conservation International Distinguished Fellow took to the stage following this and reiterated the need for an urgent change to business as usual, highlighting in particular the urgent need to create new Marine Protected Areas;
‘Our communities see, and hear the plight of climate effected people and our planet. While there is some talk of climate being a polarising issue, a UNDP survey of 77 countries this year showed that 86% of people want to see their countries set aside geopolitical differences and work together on climate change.
The time has come again to prove to people that the preservation of our planet is bigger than politics. There are four new Marine Protected Areas currently being proposed for the Southern Ocean, designed to restore ocean health. If we come together and implement these new MPAs, it would form the largest act of marine protection in history. Historically we have all been Antarctica’s only defence. The time has come to be that again.’
His Excellency Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan followed with an inspiring keynote address highlighting that safeguarding nature has been a core component of their national identity; and has guided policy and actions across decades. Having met and exceeded ‘30×30’ domestically the Prime Minister proudly shared that Bhutan now has 51% of its land under protection, with 75% forest cover and 10 interconnected protected areas spanning the country. Leading to a zero extinction rate of endangered species in recent history. The Prime Minister was also conscious of highlighting the importance of Strengthening regional partnerships and highlighted their transboundary partnership with India, calling for other governments in the room to follow suit. He ended by reminding audience members that “if we are serious about 30 by 30, we’ve got to get cracking”
Over the course of the evening, guests went on to hear from many other leaders on nature including;
The Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development of the United Kingdom who shared with the audience his government’s commitment to making biodiversity central to their foreign policy:
“Climate and nature are not some optional extra, not some nice-to-have alongside the real business of foreign policy. They are absolutely fundamental to the challenges we face. Absolutely fundamental to my mission to reconnect Britain with the world.”
And Her Excellency Susana Muhammed, Minister of Environment for Colombia and this year’s COP16 President who invited countries to make real peace with nature and join their ‘World Coalition for Peace with Nature: A Call for Life’ a call to governments and all non-state actors to support reconciliation of peoples, while simultaneously addressing the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution and degradation. The Minister implored state and non-state actors to remember that; ”Conservation of biodiversity must be done with Indigenous peoples and communities, as right holders and guardians of biodiversity”
Additional speakers included;
H.E. Mr. Cedric Schuster, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Samoa; H.E. Ms. Jennifer Littlejohn, Acting Secretary of the United States of America; H.E. Mr. Max Fontaine, Minister of Environment of Madagascar; Ms. Jennifer Corpuz, IIFB representative; Ms. Rita El Zaghloul, Director of the HAC for Nature; Ms. Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); Ms. Hiba AlShehhi, Assistant Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life of the United Arab Emirates; Ms. Elizabeth Sherr, EarthEcho International; and Dr. Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International who gave a rapport on the afternoon’s finance roundtable which saw Ministers and non-state actors come together to discuss the urgent need to meet the $20bn target agreed to at COP15 and rapidly scale up innovative financing mechanisms.
Closing remarks were given by H.E. Mr. Arnoldo Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Costa Rica who congratulated the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People on their nomination as an Earthshot Prize finalist and reiterated Costa Rica’s commitment to support the delivery of 30×30 as Co-Chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.
Overall, the evening provided a unique opportunity during a busy week for governments and non-state actors to focus on biodiversity loss, as well as their individual and collective responses to it, and re-commit to continued action. Her Excellency The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern summed this up well at closing reminding attendees;
‘To keep going is courageous. But it is also necessary. Our survival, the preservation of our lands, our homes, our native flora and fauna, all depend on it.’
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
- Images from the event will be uploaded to this folder.
- Leveraging Ambition For 30×30 And Beyond: The Road to CBD COP16 took place between 1900-2100 EDT on Tuesday 24th September at the Central Park Zoo on the occasion of the High-Level week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. A recording of the event is available here.
- The event was convened by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People Secretariat as well as the governments of Bhutan, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, European Union, France, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, United Kingdom, United States of America, and in partnership with the Global Ocean Alliance, the Leaders Pledge for Nature, Alliance Biodiversity International – CIAT, Blue Nature Alliance, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Campaign for Nature, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, The Kunming Action Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UN Development Program (UNDP), UNEP-WCMC, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Wyss Foundation
- The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People has 119 members supporting 30×30 on land and ocean. The Global Ocean Alliance has 77 members supporting 30×30 in the ocean. The Leaders’ Pledge for Nature is now endorsed by 97 world leaders (96 Heads of State and Government and the President of the EU) representing over 2 billion people, or a quarter of the world population and around 40% of the global GDP. They were today announced as a Finalist of The 2024 Earthshot Prize.
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted at the Fifteenth Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which took place in Montreal, Canada, on 7-19 December, under the Presidency of China. The agreement commits the world to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
- The Convention on Biodiversity Conference of the Parties 16 (COP16) will take place in Cali, Colombia between Oct 21, 2024 – Fri, Nov 1, 2024.