António Guterres, who has been participating in the Conference since yesterday, said he has seen good progress in the negotiations and wanted to thank everyone for their efforts.
“But with less than two days of negotiations left, we need to accelerate . I want to highlight three priorities,” he urged.
Biodiversity and climate change plans
He then outlined these three priorities, the first of which is to trigger “a new era for ambitious national biodiversity plans” in Cali.
Currently, most countries have national targets that align with the Global Biodiversity Framework, he noted, and urged all Member States to follow suit and align these national plans with their climate change adaptation plans through the so-called Nationally Determined Climate Contributions, due early next year.
Within that first priority, he said that an agreement must also be reached on a strengthened monitoring and transparency framework to ensure accountability.
Public and private, national and international financial resources
The second priority is to leave Cali with “concrete plans to unlock new funding and share the benefits of using genetic resources .”
“This means capitalizing on the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund,” he said, before thanking countries and regions that have pledged an additional $163 million this week.
“But if we are to fully implement the Global Biodiversity Framework, we need much more,” he noted.
To achieve this, Guterres proposed mobilizing $200.000 billion annually by 2030 from all sources: national, international, public and private.
“Developed countries must lead the way and provide at least $20.000 billion annually, starting next year, to support developing countries, particularly least developed countries and small island states, in their conservation and restoration efforts,” he said.
He also addressed “companies that profit from nature” who must contribute to its protection and restoration.
This includes, according to the Secretary-General, the implementation of a mechanism to share the benefits of using Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources, “ in a clear, fair and efficient manner ”.
Protecting Indigenous Peoples
The third priority is to “recognize, engage and protect the custodians of our natural heritage: indigenous peoples and local communities who possess vital knowledge on biodiversity conservation.”
“In Cali, we must reach an agreement on the proposal to establish a new permanent body for indigenous peoples and local communities within the Convention on Biological Diversity, ensuring that their voices are heard at every step of the Convention’s work ,” Guterres concluded.