A man combats the fire on burned vegetation during a forest fire in Bojaca, Colombia.

UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action

PARIS ( The Straits Times/ANN) -- Two years after a landmark UN-brokered deal to protect nature from a massive wave of destruction, delegates will gather at a new UN conference, called COP16, in Colombia in late October to assess their progress.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries are expected at the Oct 21 to Nov 1 COP16 biodiversity conference in the Colombian city of Cali.
The last Conference of the Parties or COP dedicated to biodiversity in Montreal in 2022 ended with a breakthrough agreement to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030 from pollution, degradation and the climate crisis.
COP16 will assess the progress made and examine whether rich countries are making good on their promises to stump up US$30 billion (S$39.1 billion) a year to help the developing world save its ecosystems.
The Cali conference, which takes place two weeks before the COP29 climate change gathering in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, will be “an implementation and financing COP,” Hugo-Maria Schally, the European Union’s lead negotiator at the talks in Cali, said.
Colombia, which is the world’s most biodiverse country after Brazil, aims to use the summit to take a leadership role on protecting nature and combatting climate change.
“It’s a Latin American moment,” Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said at the United Nations in New York last month.
The summit comes as Brazil and other Latin American countries struggle to emerge from one of the worst wildfire seasons in years, blamed chiefly on rampant deforestation and climate change.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will host next year’s COP30 on climate change, and Mexico’s new left-wing president Claudia Sheinbaum, are among a dozen leaders expected at the talks in Cali.
While hailed for giving Indigenous groups a leading role in protecting natural resources, COP host Colombia faces major environmental challenges of its own.
Large areas of forest have been cleared for illicit coca plantations used in cocaine production.
Deforestation surged after an historic 2016 peace deal with the FARC rebel group, as former fighters turned to unregulated farming and ranching.
Those who object put their lives on the line.
Global Witness named Colombia the country with the most murders of land and environmental activists in 2022, with 60 people killed.
“COP16 is not going to be a big decision COP, but it’s a particularly important one because it’s the first opportunity since that agreement for countries to really signal their commitment,” said Dilys Roe, a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development in London.

(Latest Update October 8, 2024)