Transformative Pathways partners prepare for COP16

The 16^th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) begins on 21 October in Cali, Colombia. Transformative Pathways project partners will be attending to advocate for their rights in biodiversity conservation.

At COP15 in 2022, Parties agreed upon and signed the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which sets out biodiversity conservation goals for the next 10 years. This year, COP16 will focus on the GBF’s implementation by finalising a Monitoring Framework, which will help the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) track how successful Parties are in implementing the GBF.

At COP16, Parties will also present their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), which set out how each country plans to reach the goals and targets of the GBF. For the first time, Partners for Indigenous Knowledge Philippines (PIKP) have created an Indigenous Peoples Strategy and Action Plan (IPBSAP), which highlights the strategies and key priorities of Indigenous Peoples for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Transformative Pathways project partners will engage with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), which acts as an observer to the CBD and can take part in negotiations and propose concrete changes to the text of the Framework.

They will be advocating for the inclusion of Traditional Knowledge indicators in the Monitoring Framework, as well as promoting the use of Community Based Monitoring and Information Systems (CBMIS) to gather data and information on biodiversity monitoring on their lands.

See Guide to Community-based Biodiversity Monitoring here

Other topics of importance to Indigenous Peoples and local communities include biodiversity finance, focusing on how to ensure more money goes directly to communities on the ground, as well as how to effectively implement a truly rights-based approach biodiversity conservation. A decision is also expected to be made on whether the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Article 8(j) and related provisions (on traditional knowledge and benefit sharing for Indigenous Peoples and local communities) will become a permanent subsidiary body to the CBD.

Transformative Pathways Partner Events

Indigenous Peoples’ Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IPBSAP) in the Philippines: Challenges and Opportunities 

21st October – 18:00 at Sinu – Africa Meeting Room, Plaza One (Blue Zone)

Co-convened by PIKP | Tebtebba | NTFP-EP Asia | ICCA Consortium | ILC | Nia Tero | Philippine Government

For more events, visit IIFB’s website