COP16: Colombia announces Cali City as host of CBD summit

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Colombia President, Gustavo Petro, has announced that this year’s Convention on Biological Diversity, (CBD) conference would take place in Cali, the capital of Colombia Pacific region.

The City was picked to host the event earlier this week from other ten cities including the capital and largest city in the country, Bogota.

Cali city is expected to host over 12,000 individuals from 198 different countries in the world.

Expected participant includes but not limited to government delegations, heads of state, journalists, experts, who would meet to discuss a fundamental topic and issues of humanity.

President Gustavo in his speech referred to COP16 summit in the country as the most important international event to ever be held in Colombia.

“This is called biodiversity. That word may not have existed on April 9, 1948 in common language, and even less so in the language of 1821 or the beginnings of our Republic, but today it is the central axis of humanity. What is being resolved in today’s world is how to stop some crazy people who are throwing bombs and how to take advantage of humanity’s time, its last moments to propose its survival on the planet”

“The conference, not more or less, has to deal with this issue and the world discusses it, because it is all of humanity that is committed. And it is in Colombia that is the country of beauty, because it is the second world power in biodiversity and because this government made of that, of life, its internal and foreign policy” he said