09 December 2022, Montreal Canada - As negotiations run deep into the night on the first week of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montreal Canada, where countries are hoping to finalise and approve the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, Pacific negotiators are doing their very best to amplify our Pacific voice and advocate for country priorities at the global gathering.
But the world of the CBD COP15 negotiations, like many other multilateral environment agreements, can be quite a daunting task for anyone, and very difficult to follow and comprehend especially if you are a first timer.
This is the complex environment, like at other international MEA negotiations, the Pacific delegates have found themselves in Montreal this week. It is also the backdrop for governments and Parties coming together to try and agree, amongst other things, on a new set of goals and targets that will guide global action on nature through 2030.
Amongst the Pacific delegation of more than 30 officials, there is a range of different experiences. There are experienced delegates who have done this for many years, and then there are new negotiators whose participation is not only to ensure their country and Pacific priorities are advocated for, and secured, it is also an opportunity to build their capacity for the future. It is a key part of the work being done in Montreal.
Ms Menolen Jacob-Oswalt, of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), is one of them and she said that while she felt butterflies at the start of the week, she is excited about being here.
"As a first timer to CBD negotiations, I'd like to learn more about the main practical aspects of participation in negotiations, particularly for small delegations like those from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and other Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” she said.
“As a representative from the FSM, I plan to work with my delegation to push for our priorities and interests as the FSM in the COP while aligning as much as possible with the views of other Pacific SIDS delegations."
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Ms Jacob Oswalt is not alone. Ms River Thomas, of Palau, said she is loving the experience, and she wants to learn as much as she can, not just from some of the more experienced Pacific negotiators but also from others around the world. Since she arrived in Montreal, she has been absorbing all the information and experiences, which include working with other Pacific colleagues who have had to follow the negotiations late into the night.
“It’s quite an experience and it is an honour to be representing my country and advocating for our national interests,” she said. “It can be difficult and it takes time to balance different national interests of 196 countries, there are certain things that are red line for some Parties so it’s definitely going to take time. From the Pacific’s perspective however, we don’t have time looking at the pressing nature of the issues we are here to try and resolve.”
Ms Thomas said she is very keen on playing her part to accomplish a framework that really takes into account the special consideration of Small Island Developing States and the importance of oceans as a repository for biodiversity.
“I know there are other interests at play that are strong but I also know that as Pacific countries, we have come with a mandate from our countries, and our will is also strong. While I am new to the process, we will do everything we can as a region, and as individual countries working with our partners to create that ambitious shift.”
The sentiments are echoed by Mr Ruel Yamana, of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
“This is my first CBD COP but I’m happy to be with my colleagues from the Pacific countries who have been very helpful, as well as the wonderful support team from SPREP whom we have been working with since the pre-CBD COP to prepare us for this,” he said.
“This is an important meeting where we are here to set biodiversity targets until 2030 and PNG will be focusing a number of those targets, in particular Target 19 on finance and resource mobilisation.
“To be honest I didn’t realise the contentious nature of some of the issues being discussed until I arrived here and looked at some of the texts but we have to stick to our key messages and when it comes to finance, the Pacific needs the necessary support to implement some of our priorities. This is an important COP and we want to see a positive outcome for our communities we are here to represent.”
The Convention on Biological Diversity was inspired by the world community's growing commitment to conserve the Earth’s biodiversity and sustainably manage it. Originally planned for Kunming, China in 2020, COP15 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later split into a two-part event. Part 1 was held in Kunming last October while the decision to relocate the conclusion of COP15 to Montreal was made by the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, in consultation with the CBD Secretariat and the Governments of China and Canada.
Prior to the official opening of CBD COP15 on Tuesday, the Open Ended Working Group had been meeting. The meetings were broken up into parallel working groups, where parties attempted to resolve outstanding issues on the language of the proposed Global Biodiversity framework.
The negotiations are likely to continue well into the next week. There is a general feeling that everyone wants the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to be adopted, which is the key issue at COP15.
At COP10 in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010, governments set out to meet the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020, including that natural habitat loss would be halved and plans for sustainable consumption and production would be implemented. According to a 2020 CBD report, none of these targets have been fully met. In the meantime, 196 countries have ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity, and all countries will need to adopt the framework at the meeting in Montreal.
At the opening ceremony, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr António Guterres said: “Multinational corporations are filling their bank accounts while emptying our world of its natural gifts. Ecosystems have become playthings of profit. With our bottomless appetite for unchecked and unequal economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction. We are treating nature like a toilet. And ultimately, we are committing suicide by proxy.”
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The Pacific has four key messages:
1. It is of critical importance for the Pacific islands region to have an effective and coherent Global Biodiversity Framework that reflects the needs of Pacific islands nations and conserving their unique biodiversity.
2. As Small Island Developing States, our Pacific islands face unique conditions in the effort to manage biodiversity and conservation, thanks in large part to our geographic situation, limited land, and vast ocean spaces.
3. Our Pacific islands need investments in capacity to manage and monitor the status of biodiversity and of human actions influencing native biodiversity.
4. Healthy ocean biodiversity is a Pacific islands national and regional priority and should also be a global priority.
The Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) is held in Montreal, Canada from 7 – 19 December 2022. Chaired by the Government of China, the CBD COP15 will result in a new Global Biodiversity Framework that will continue the 2020 Biodiversity Targets with the global goal of halting biodiversity loss.
Fourteen Pacific Islands countries are Party to the CBD. They are contributing to a unified One Pacific Voice on collective issues at COP15. The countries present in Montreal are the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), support to Pacific island countries has been implemented with technical input through the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT), and includes a One Pacific approach involving support from the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and the Pacific Community at COP15 with financial assistance from the Government of Australia and the ACP MEA Phase 3 Project funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States for the ACP countries.
For more information on the CBD COP15 please visit: https://www.cbd.int/conferences/2021-2022 or email [email protected]