CIVICUS discusses the recent United Nations (UN) biodiversity summit, COP16, with Viviana Figueroa, Global Technical Coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB).
The IIFB is a group of representatives of Indigenous governments, Indigenous civil society organisations and Indigenous scientists and activists who organise themselves around the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other major international environmental meetings. It coordinates strategies, facilitates and supports the full and effective participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities and ensures their rights and contributions to nature conservation are recognised and respected in negotiations and decision-making, and in subsequent implementation.
COP16, held in Cali, Colombia in November 2024, ended without consensus on key issues such as finance, monitoring and the elimination of subsidies to harmful industries. Concerns were raised about the influence of 1,261 business lobbyists from industries such as pesticides, oil and biotechnology. While some progress was made, including the establishment of a global fund based on genetic information and greater inclusion of Indigenous peoples, the summit resulted in no agreement on funding to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework.