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At the at the Biodiversity PreCOP 15 CBD High-level event hosted by Colombia, representatives of three political coalitions endorsed by 116 countries – the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Global Ocean Alliance have joined forces to reaffirm the urgency of reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 to address the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and climate change and achieve sustainable development.
The science is clear: one million species are at risk of extinction and irreversible cascading tipping points in the Earth system might be passed within decades. The “Leaders Pledge for Nature”, the “High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People” and the “Global Ocean Alliance” have emerged to mobilize action and support for the protection and restoration of nature as a crucial contribution to address the planetary emergency. Since 2019, these three political coalitions, comprised and supported by hundreds of participants from governments and nonstate actors, have been critical to build the momentum needed for the adoption of an ambitious, effective, and transformational post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the COP15, to be celebrated virtually from 11 to 15 October 2021 and virtually from 25 April to 8 May 2022.
The three political coalitions are promoting specific and complementary objectives to protect, conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity, based on robust scientific evidence and traditional knowledge, including: the scaling-up of nature-based solutions and ecosystem based approaches, and circular economy to accelerate the transition to sustainable growth; a green recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic; the deployment of financial and non-financial means of implementation from all sources; the integration of a “one health” approach into relevant decision making processes; strengthening synergies with other conventions and sectors; and ending illicit threats to nature and crimes that affect the environment. In particular, the coalitions have also committed to significantly increase the protection of the planet’s land and ocean, with the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and the Global Ocean Alliance having a special focus on the aim to protect and conserve at least 30% of the global land and at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030.
Statement
In the statement, signatories state:
We, representatives of at least one of the three coalitions – the “Leaders Pledge for Nature”, the “High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People” and/or the “Global Ocean Alliance”, endorsed by 116 world leaders and governments, state our determination to work together towards COP15 to translate our joint commitments into concrete agreements in the Global Biodiversity Framework in order to ensure transformative action on the ground and to find constructive solutions to overcome divergences in the negotiation process;
- Recognize the importance of the full and comprehensive implementation of all our commitments and the urgent need to overcome silo thinking. We will continue to do this by taking an integrated and holistic approach to address the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, which implies, among others, acting in an articulated manner across all sectors and taking action on interdependent crises, such as climate change;
- Note with concern that, despite significant progress in the First Draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, additional efforts are urgently needed from all Parties to ensure that the goals, targets and means of implementation of the Framework reach the necessary ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030;
- Encourage all 196 Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, observers and all relevant stakeholders to step up implementation and to work together to ensure that the framework to be agreed contains commitments to:
- Achieve ambitious targets on ecosystems and species conservation and restoration, including to bend the curve of biodiversity loss by 2030;
- Transform the current unsustainable patterns of consumption and production into sustainable ones to meet people’s need while remaining well within the limits of planetary boundaries;
- Scale-up investment in the protection of nature;
- Mainstream biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into decision-making processes and instruments at all levels of government and society, including key sectors such as food production, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, aquaculture, energy, tourism, transport, infrastructure and extractive industries, trade and supply chains, and health;
- Ensure effective and adequate means of implementation, including by:
- Significantly scaling and enhancing resource mobilization from all sources, including through the promotion of innovative mechanisms;
- Eliminating harmful incentives while creating positive ones; and
- Aligning financial flows to a nature positive economy, bringing business and the private sector, including the financial sector, on board.
- Develop a strong monitoring and review mechanism to back up commitments;
- Foster sustainable partnerships to ensure a whole-of-society approach with the inclusion of indigenous peoples and local communities, women and girls, youth and marginalized communities.
Urge all governments to join our Coalitions to ensure the highest ambition in the upcoming negotiations and implement the commitments included in the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature.
There is no time to lose: we need fast and deep transformative change of a type never before attempted. Falling short on our endeavor is not an option.
Read on at Leaders’ Pledge for Nature
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