Indigenous peoples will have a better status
The Colombian presidency, however, is pleased to have obtained the adoption of decisions which it had made a priority: a reinforced status for indigenous peoples in the biodiversity COPs, a text on the recognition of “Afro-descendants”, and the implementation of a multilateral fund. The latter aims to share with developing countries the profits made by companies thanks to the digitized genome of plants and animals in their territories.
After more than ten hours of bitter nocturnal debates on Saturday, the countries had finally tackled the most explosive subject of the conference: how to achieve by 2030 the goal of increasing global spending on food to $200 billion per year. save nature, including thirty billion in aid from rich countries.
The creation of a new nature fund divides
To achieve this, the Colombian presidency presented a road map including the creation of a new fund for nature, which is refused by rich countries, hostile to the multiplication of multilateral development aid funds.
As expected, the speech of Brazil, the first supporter of the Colombian presidency, in response to those of the European Union, Japan and Canada, revealed positions that were still frozen after twelve days of summit in a lush valley of the Andes mountain range. Panama then asked the Colombian presidency to verify the quorum. This being no longer filled, this is the reason given for suspending the closing plenary.
“Of course this makes the potential weaker and slower” of the UN process, supposed to remedy the nature crisis which threatens the prosperity of humanity, declared Susana Muhamad. “The Colombian government has mobilized a lot (…) the Colombian people have given everything, (…) but in the end, it depends on the parties and the negotiation process,” she justified, on the verge of tears.
Switzerland lags behind according to Pro Natura, WWF and BirdLife
The results of COP16 are totally insufficient to better preserve global biodiversity, deplore BirdLife, Pro Natura and WWF after the failure of negotiations in Colombia. Switzerland remained behind in Cali, according to them. Switzerland has not made its contribution, noted the three organizations on Saturday in a joint press release. It has not presented a national action plan for its biological diversity and has not provided an “appropriate” financial contribution for global biodiversity,
States were to present their action plans during COP16. At the end of the Convention, 119 countries have done so, but not Switzerland. “Without real measures, the protection of biodiversity remains an empty promise,” considers Raffael Ayé, director of BirdLife Switzerland.
In the eyes of WWF, the biodiversity situation in Switzerland “is particularly bad: more than a third of species are threatened or extinct, and half of habitats are in danger”.
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