Finally, Committee accepts Colombia’s offer to host COP16

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity has accepted Colombia’s offer to host the next United Nations Biodiversity Conference, to be held from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

The announcement was made in the meeting held on December 15.

The last meeting which saw thousands of participants from 196 countries was held in Canada, in December 2022.

The Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16), which will be held later next year in northwest of the South America country will be the first meeting after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at Montreal, December 2022.

During the announcement, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, H. E. Susana Muhamad, said COP16 will be a great opportunity for one of the most biodiverse nations in the world.

He said, “This is going to be a great opportunity for one of the most biodiverse nations in the world. This event sends a message from Latin America to the world about the importance of climate action and the protection of life. It highlights the commitment of Colombia, of President Gustavo Petro and the entire country, to preserve our planet.”

David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention, said “The Secretariat is delighted to have the Government of Colombia as host of COP 16. Colombia is home to tremendous biodiversity, is an inspiring example of how to engage with indigenous peoples and local communities and is at the forefront of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.”

The COP15 President, Minister Huang Runqiu, said, “As COP 15 President, I welcome the offer from Colombia to host COP 16. We look forward to working with them to continue the momentum towards the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and to ensure that we accelerate our movement from agreement to action towards the 2050 vision of the Convention.”

However, since the adoption of Kumming Montreal Biodiversity Framework, COP16 will be an open opportunity for governments to review the state of the implementation.

COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Among other tasks.