UK welcomes the positive conclusion to negotiations at the resumed meeting of CBD COP16, which saw the international community make progress towards halting and reversing nature loss by 2030
The extended session of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity concluded on Friday, 28 February, in Rome, Italy. The meeting culminated in the adoption of a landmark agreement aimed at addressing the escalating global biodiversity crisis. This accord represents a pivotal moment in the international community’s efforts to protect and restore the natural world.
Central to the agreement is a comprehensive strategy for global collaboration on raising finance from diverse sources. This initiative is designed to fund the critical work necessary to achieve the goals and targets outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The agreement also includes the finalisation of a robust Monitoring Framework, which will enable all Parties to measure and report on the delivery of their national actions in a consistent and transparent manner. This framework is expected to significantly enhance the international community’s ability to monitor the global state of nature and to focus future interventions effectively.
Ruth Davis, the UK Special Representative for Nature, who was present at the negotiations in Rome, underscored the importance of the agreement. She stated, “This agreement represents a significant advancement in our collective efforts to address the biodiversity crisis. As the urgency for action intensifies, moments of genuine progress such as this are both encouraging and essential. It is imperative that we build on the spirit of cooperation demonstrated in Rome to mobilise the necessary resources to restore nature. This is not merely an environmental imperative but a fundamental requirement for maintaining food security, storing carbon, and mitigating the impacts of floods and droughts.”
The UK played a crucial role in the negotiations, working closely with the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The UK’s efforts were instrumental in finalising complex discussions on nature finance and agreeing on a monitoring framework that will enable consistent measurement and reporting of national actions. This framework is expected to significantly enhance the international community’s ability to monitor the global state of nature and to focus future interventions effectively.
Mary Creagh, the UK Nature Minister, also expressed her support for the agreement, highlighting the intrinsic link between nature and global prosperity. She remarked, “Nature is the foundation upon which our existence and prosperity depend. The health of the natural world is inextricably linked to our well-being, both at home and globally. The UK has been at the forefront of advocating for an ambitious agreement to meet our international targets for the protection and restoration of nature. This agreement is a testament to that ambition, and we are committed to working with other nations to ensure its successful implementation.”
A significant development during the negotiations was the launch of the Cali Fund. This fund is designed to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. It represents an important step in allowing companies that utilise genetic databases derived from nature, such as those in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biotech sectors, to direct funds on a voluntary basis towards Indigenous Peoples and local communities who safeguard biodiversity.
In addition to the international agreements, the UK Government published the UK National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP) during the resumed COP16. This plan commits the UK to achieving all 23 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework domestically. It underscores the UK’s international leadership in halting and reversing nature loss and highlights ongoing efforts to halt the decline of species by 2030.
The extended session of COP16 follows the original meeting held in Cali, Colombia, in November 2024. The UK will seek to build on the success of COP16 at the UNFCCC COP30 in Brazil later this year and at the CBD COP17 in Armenia in 2026. The outcomes of the Rome session are expected to provide a strong foundation for further progress in the global effort to protect and restore biodiversity.
The agreement reached in Rome marks a historic milestone in the international community’s efforts to address the global biodiversity crisis. With the support and cooperation of nations around the world, it is hoped that these measures will lead to tangible improvements in the health of the planet’s ecosystems and the well-being of its inhabitants.
