25 February 2025, Rome, Italy – Our Pacific Islands will be sitting at the global negotiations table this week, calling for increased funding and support to conserve and protect our Pacific biodiversity.
Following the suspension of the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in November 2024 in Cali, Colombia, Heads of State, government leaders and officials, private sector, civil society, academics and youth will converge world in Rome, Italy at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from 25-27 February for resumed sessions of COP16 and concurrent meetings to address agenda items left unresolved following the suspension.
The Pacific islands are custodians of the largest span of ocean in the world. They are home to rich and vast biodiversity and hold domain over large proportions of global ecosystems. In the fight to conserve biological diversity and sustainable use of its components, the Pacific region continues to showcase unwavering leadership.
In, 2022, Pacific Island Leaders declared a regional state of climate emergency while globally we face the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity, where biodiversity loss is occurring at an exponential rate and becoming a growing concern.
The Pacific islands following a strong presence in Cali has set its sights once again on pushing for ambitious biodiversity targets and enhanced resourcing for the region in Rome.
Director of the Cook Islands National Environment Service, Mr Halatoa Fua puts into perspective the need for enhancing biodiversity financing.
“Our Cook Islands biodiversity underpins our way of life. It’s the source of our livelihoods, the backbone of our cultural practices and is crucial to our island resilience. Enhanced resource mobilisation and finance plays a significant role in strengthening our biodiversity. Without this it can all crumble – our Ipukarea is at risk. We must leave this resumed CBD COP with firm commitments on the table for enhanced resource mobilisation to halt biodiversity loss around the world”.
A major focus of the resumed discussions includes a new Resource Mobilisation Strategy aimed at securing $200 billion annually by 2030 from all sources for biodiversity initiatives and reducing harmful incentives by at least $500 billion per year by 2023.
Under the Kunmig-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), parties agreed to not only halt but reverse biodiversity loss. However, commitments to finance biodiversity protection have been far and few. As Pacific islands grapple with the impacts of climate change and balancing competing priorities in economic development, the lack of resource mobilisation undermines the progress needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
Discussion at the resumed COP will also explore the potential establishment of a global financing instrument for biodiversity to mobilise and distribute funding effectively. At present, funding comes from bilateral arrangements, private and philanthropic sources, and dedicated funds such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) including its Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) and Kunmig Biodiversity Fund(KBF).
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as the mandated inter-governmental organisation of the Pacific island countries to protect the Pacific environment will continue its support to the One Pacific Voice with a team providing on the ground technical support to Pacific parties in Rome.
Deputy Director General, Ms Easter Chu Shing highlighted the importance of a unified Pacific approach to the discussions. “With the unique challenges presented by our geographical location, limited land areas and vast ocean spaces, a unified Pacific voice at the COP ensures our unique biodiversity conservation and management issues are brought to the forefront of discussions.”
“The special circumstances of SIDS is crucial for action under the Convention and resumed discussions present a critical step towards achieving our common goals of conserving our Pacific biodiversity and halting global biodiversity loss.”
Fourteen Pacific Islands countries are Party to the CBD, they are Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Representatives from nine Pacific countries will be in Rome contributing to the resumed discussions.
Discussions at the COP will determine the trajectory of implementation of the GBF and other work under the Convention. Adequate and accessible resourcing is required for the implementation of this work, and all eyes will be on Rome to deliver this important component, in ensuring the meeting of the GBF targets as well as a sustainable and resilient future for all.
The resumed session of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol, will take place at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy from 25-27 February 2025.
Fourteen Pacific Islands countries are Party to the CBD, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), support to Pacific island countries has been implemented with technical input through the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), and includes a One Pacific approach with financial assistance from the Government of New Zealand.