UN CBD COP16

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will convene later this year. 

We recommend businesses to attend COP16 between 24 and 30 October.

Are businesses and governments turning the tide on nature loss?

In the countdown to the UN Biodiversity COP16, take a look at our infographic exploring business and policy progress.

Watch a replay of our latest COP16 webinar:
Biodiversity COP16: How can businesses play an active role?

COP16 will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework, also known as The Biodiversity Plan. Governments will review the progress made to implement the Biodiversity Plan, and the level of alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with it. At COP16, governments plan to further negotiate the monitoring framework, advance resource mobilization (in particular how the implementation will be financed) and finalize the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

Attended by participants from over 190 countries, COP16 will bring together governments, observer organizations, indigenous communities, businesses, youth groups, civil society academia and the general public. 

Why is COP16 relevant for business? 

COP16 can be seen as the first implementation COP. This means it will be the COP where various actors, from governments to non-state actors like academia, cities, indigenous communities, youth groups, businesses, financial institutions and civil society will come together to share progress to date and explore plans for the future to contribute to the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan (otherwise known as the Global Biodiversity Framework).  

A united and strong voice of progressive businesses in the lead up to, and at, COP15 in Montreal in 2022 gave governments the courage to adopt strong targets. Through the Make it Mandatory campaign, more than 400 businesses and financial institutions ensured governments adopted a strong target 15, on the role of business. The voice of leading businesses will be critical at COP16 to signal to the governments that business must be part of the solution. Many are taking action to assess, commit, transform and disclose on nature, including at a sector level and by developing a nature strategy. But we all need to do more to achieve the collective goal of halting and revering nature loss by 2030. 

The business community must prioritize COP16 to:  

• Demonstrate growing momentum and leadership: All businesses have the responsibility to show up and demonstrate the actions they are taking to contribute towards achieving the targets in the Biodiversity Plan. Businesses must remain committed to this international political process which provides key milestones to take stock and push for more ambition and accountability to achieve a nature-positive world for all by 2030. 

• Engage with governments on upcoming policies and regulation: Governments are updating their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) – see the list of published NBSAPs here. These translate the Biodiversity Plan into policies and regulations at regional and national levels which has direct consequences on company operations. COP16 will create a conversation forum for all actors to discuss effective means of implementation at the global, regional, national and local level.   

• Connect with peers: COP16 will bring together businesses of all sizes, sectors and geographies. We anticipate there will be a wide range of business-specific events inside and outside the main venue to meaningfully discuss and overcome shared challenges and learn from each other to drive action. 

• Dialogue with other stakeholder groups: COP16 will convene other stakeholder groups including governments, cities, Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs), academia and youth. This presents a unique opportunity for businesses to continue constructive dialogue around whole-of-society approaches to strengthen and improve their actions and strategies.  

What will be negotiated at COP16? 

At COP16, the negotiations are expected to focus on three key elements for the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan (otherwise known as the Global Biodiversity Framework):  

1. The operationalization of the monitoring framework that includes the indicators for each of the 23 targets that will enable governments to report on progress.  

2. The mobilization of the financial resources needed for successful implementation, in particular how to implement Target 18 on the reform of environmentally harmful subsidies and Target 19 that commits governments to mobilize 200 billion USD per year, by 2030.  

3. Finalize the multilateral mechanism on fair and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. 

The International Chamber of Commerce is coordinating the business voice on Access and Benefit Sharing. If you are interested in learning more about the Access and Benefit Sharing topic, please contact Daphne Yong d'Herve.

Business participation at COP16

As a global coalition, Business for Nature and its partner organizations will bring together leading businesses at COP16 who are ready to push for high ambition and accelerated government action. We will collectively demonstrate business leadership and action in this decade of implementation.  

We are currently engaging with the UN CBD secretariat and the COP16 Presidency to ensure that there are meaningful engagement opportunities for businesses to participate at COP.  

Participation Avenues:

1. Blue Zone: The Blue Zone is an area within the main conference venue specifically designated for negotiations and dialogues between member countries and accredited observers. The blue Zone will host key events such as plenary sessions, official side events and official bilateral and multi-lateral meetings.

   Please note: Entry to the Blue Zone is limited to official delegations from member countries, and accredited observers through a registration process. Registration for the Blue Zone is now closed.

2. Green Zone: The green is a space outside the main conference area (Bulevar del Rio de Cali) designed to encourage the active participation of civil, society, NGOs, the private sector and other interested stakeholders. This zone is open to the public and will aim to facilitate conversations, and inspire concrete actions for biodiversity conservation and strengthen citizen participation in key environmental discussions. Access to the Green Zone is not subject to registration.

Depending on traffic, the transit between the two zones can take 30 – 40 minutes so make sure to plan ahead as delegates will likely shuffle between these two locations.

If you been nominated through an observer organization for access to the Blue Zone, please ensure you print and bring your Priority Pass to Colombia for smooth entry into the conference venue on your first visit.

View map of Blue Zone and Green Zone below:

What does the COP16 program look like? 

About the side-program  
The details of the side-program are still being defined by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) secretariat and the Colombian Presidency. However, traditionally Biodiversity COPs include an official side program for all stakeholders to contribute to the nature agenda discussion.

Several business relevant forums have already been confirmed for the Blue Zone, including:

1. Capacity Building Forum, 19 October – more information here

2. Business and Biodiversity Forum, 27 October – more information here

3. Biodiversity and Finance Day, 28 October – more information here

4. Action Zone (Place Québec), 22 – 31 October – more information here

5. Official side events, 21 October – 1 November – more information here

6. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Pavilion, 21-31 October – more information here

7. Biodiversity Technology and Innovation Expo 2024, 21 October – 1 November – more information here  

These events offer fantastic opportunities for progressive businesses to contribute to the conference, demonstrate leadership and call for renewed policy ambition.  

For those who cannot join on the ground, sessions from the Business & Biodiversity Forum and the Finance Day will be streamed online at UN Web TV.

About the external program 

Nature Positive Pavilion: From 21 October to 1 November, the Nature Positive Pavilion will be hosted in the Blue Zone. This pavilion will serve as a platform for non-state actor events, featuring over 140+ plenary sessions, alongside evening receptions. Organized by the Nature Positive Initiative, the pavilion will focus on key themes such as finance, business, nature positive metrics, peace with nature, indigenous and local wisdom, and much more. Business for Nature will be hosting several sessions in the Nature Positive Pavilion.

Find the Nature Positive Pavilion program here. Many plenary events will be livestreamed.

Bloom 24: This year, Trellis (formerly GreenBiz) is set to convene the annual Bloom conference alongside COP16 in Cali, Colombia, on 24 – 25 October. Bloom 24 will also bring together a vibrant community of thought leaders and business practitioners working to implement ambitious nature strategies through engaging sessions of problem solving, learning and networking. This session will host a group of 200 invitation-only participants to explore how companies can halt and reverse nature loss within their operations and supply chains.  

Business for Nature is one of the convening partners of Bloom 24. 

The World Biodiversity Summit 2024: The 5th edition of World Biodiversity Summit returns on 26 October, at MUSEO - Museo La Tertulia in Cali, Colombia, as part of a series of activities hosted by the World Climate Foundation at the pivotal COP16. The World Biodiversity Summit serves as a leading impact platform for public and private sector collaboration addressing the dual crises of biodiversity loss and climate change through nature-based solutions and nature-positive investments.

Register here for World Biodiversity Summit

LATAM Finance Day: On 26 October, the LATAM Finance Day will explore the unique challenges and opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean countries in financing biodiversity initiatives.

Target 18: On 27 October, the Global Environment Facility and World Economic Forum will host a series of dedicated sessions focused on Target 18.

Business Sprint: On 29 October, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, with support from Business for Nature and the Capitals Coalition, will host the Business Sprint – Capacity Building Workshops to Drive Business Action. This series of workshops will help companies build capacity to accelerate action on the high-level actions for nature and prepare them to understand what the core elements of a business approach are they need to put in place, in line with the ACT-D framework.

Information on the external COP16 program will be regularly updated in the lead up to COP16.  

We recommend businesses attend COP16 between 24 and 30 October.

Resources to help you navigate COP16

Business for Nature will be providing the following resources before and at COP16:

1. Daily business briefings: On the mornings of 25 – 29 October, from 8:00am to 9:00am, at the business briefing room (Blue Zone).

2. Business & Finance @COP16 App: UNEP-WCMC, with funding support from the IBAT alliance, has developed an app to support business and finance engagement throughout COP16. The app is being regularly updated with details of relevant events and contains answers to frequently asked questions. The app is available via Guidebook.
   Download Guidebook to your device. Once the app is downloaded, access the Business & Finance @COP16 App here. If you are having trouble accessing the app, you can use the search engine within the Guidebook app.
   If you have an event you would like us to include in the app, please complete this form or make the request directly via the app.

3. Business@COP16 WhatsApp group: A WhatsApp group has been created to gather all business and finance representatives who will be on the ground at COP16. For more information, please email our Business Engagement lead Lizzy.

4. COP16 Business Participation Guide: This detailed guide has been produced by Business for Nature for Business to use at COP16.

In addition, we encourage you to read the official UN Code of Conduct as well as the information note for participants which is regularly updated by the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Frequently asked questions

Interested to know more about COP16 and how to engage?

Please reach out to Johanna Delmelle, COP16 Coordinator with any further questions on COP16.

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