New UN Biodiversity Agreement

By

Ines Lechner, Editor Rural21

Nations adopted four goals and 23 targets for 2030 to foster biodiversity conservation and counter acceleration in the global rate of species extinction at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15).

At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) parties agreed on a package of measures to address the dangerous loss of biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystems. ©hasogr

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This article first appeared as a news in Rural21 and is part of a media cooperation between Rural21 and weltohnehunger.org.

At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which took place from the 7th- 19th December 2022 in Montreal, Canada, parties agreed on a package of measures deemed critical to addressing the dangerous loss of biodiversity and restoring natural ecosystems. Convened under UN auspices, chaired by China and hosted by Canada, COP15 adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), including four goals and 23 targets for achievement by 2030.

 

Among the global targets for 2030 is the effective conservation and management of at least 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial surface, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans, with emphasis on areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services. This target has been disputed and is viewed critically by some non-governmental organisations, who voiced fears in the run-up to the conference that it does not sufficiently consider the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The GBF points out that the rights of the latter and local communities, including those to their traditional territories, must be recognised and respected. Nevertheless, concern remains that promises to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples are ignored by the conservation industry, the NGO Survival International says. Another target is to halve global food waste by 2030.

 

According to a report published by WWF a year ago, approximately 40 per cent of all the food grown goes uneaten.

 

Further targets include to progressively phase out or reform by 2030 subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least USD 500 billion per year, to raise international financial flows from developed to developing countries, and to prevent the introduction of priority invasive alien species.

 

Partnership to implement the Framework

At COP15, 23 countries and organisations, led by Colombia and supported by Germany, launched a partnership to support developing countries in the swift implementation of their biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), adapted in line with the targets agreed in the new Global Biodiversity Framework. The Partnership will facilitate access to financial and technical support, promote dialogue, outreach, and knowledge exchange, and develop institutional capacity tailored to different levels and national needs. Along with the launch of the Initiative, the German Federal Government will support and kick-start the operationalisation of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership as well as concrete implementation activities in selected countries. The governments of Colombia and Germany, the UN Biodiversity Convention, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners, will assist with the design, development, structuring, operationalisation and monitoring of the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership.

 

The framework’s four overarching global goals are:

 

GOAL A:
The integrity, connectivity and resilience of all ecosystems are maintained, enhanced, or restored, substantially increasing the area of natural ecosystems by 2050;

 

Human induced extinction of known threatened species is halted, and, by 2050, extinction rate and risk of all species are reduced tenfold, and the abundance of native wild species is increased to healthy and resilient levels;

 

The genetic diversity within populations of wild and domesticated species, is maintained, safeguarding their adaptive potential.

 

GOAL B:
Biodiversity is sustainably used and managed and nature’s contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services, are valued, maintained and enhanced, with those currently in decline being restored, supporting the achievement of sustainable development, for the benefit of present and future generations by 2050.

 

GOAL C:
The monetary and non-monetary benefits from the utilisation of genetic resources, and digital sequence information on genetic resources, and of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, as applicable, are shared fairly and equitably, including, as appropriate with indigenous peoples and local communities, and substantially increased by 2050, while ensuring traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources is appropriately protected, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, in accordance with internationally agreed access and benefit-sharing instruments.

 

GOAL D:
Adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation, and access to and transfer of technology to fully implement the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework are secured and equitably accessible to all Parties, especially developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small progressively closing the biodiversity finance gap of USD 700 billion per year, and aligning financial flows with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity.

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Martin Frick has been director of the WFP office in Berlin for a year – since then one hunger crisis has followed another. What are the diplomat's answers? A conversation about opportunities in agriculture, the interplay of multiple crises, the importance of resilience and tighter budgets.

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Five Questions for Dirk Meyer

An Interview with Dirk Meyer (BMZ)

Development cooperation needs to place good governance and a sustainable agri-food systems transformation at its center: After the first 100 days in office have passed, Dirk Meyer from the German Development Ministry (BMZ) spells out the goals, guidelines and priorities of the Ministry’s new lead.

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Fair Trade and Climate Justice: Everything is Conntected

A Contribution of the 'Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains' (INA)

Fair Trade organisations and the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA) have launched the #ichwillfair campaign during COP26 to highlight the link between global supply chains and climate change.

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“Healthy ground brings good and many fruits”

Interview with Ben Sekamatte and Boaz Ogola

Africa's cotton production plays a key role in the fight against poverty. The "Cotton Made in Africa" initiative promotes sustainable cultivation - one element of which is the use of organic pesticides. Entomologist Ben Sekamatte and cotton company manager Boaz Ogola talked with Jan Rübel about soil and yields.

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"Agriculture can become a job engine"

Interview with Reiner Klingholz

How can agriculture modernise Africa? And does the road to the cities really lead out of poverty? Dr. Reiner Klingholz from the Berlin Institute for Population and Development in conversation with Jan Rübel .

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One Health – What we are learning from the Corona crisis

A contribution by Dr. May Hokan and Dr. Arnulf Köhncke (WWF)

Due to the coronavirus crisis, the connection between human and animal health has gained new attention. Politicians and scientists are joining forces to propagate the solution: One Health. But what is behind the concept? And can it also guarantee food security for all people worldwide?

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(c) Thomas Lohnes / Brot für die Welt

The hype about urban gardening: farmers or hobby gardeners?

A contribution by Stig Tanzmann

Urban gardening is becoming increasingly popular in northern metropoles. People who consider themselves part of a green movement are establishing productive gardens in the city, for example on rooftops or in vacant lots. In severely impoverished regions of the global South, urban agriculture is a component of the food strategy.

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Food System Transformation Starts and Ends with Diversity

A Contribution by Emile Frison and Nick Jacobs (IPES-Food)

While having failed to solve the hunger problem, industrial agriculture appears to be causing additional ones both in environmental and health terms. Emile Frison and Nick Jacobs call for a transformation.

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Engaging the Community to Solve the Bushmeat Crisis

A Contribution by the Forestry Research Institute Nigeria

The 'Domestication of Small Monogastric and Ruminant Animals' (DSMR) project led by a Nigerian research institute works with local communities to solve the bushmeat crisis.

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