Events
Post COP16 analysis: From biodiversity commitments to action
Did the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 live up to the hype? Join this webinar to find out – actors who participated in COP16 will share their analyses of what the outcomes mean for future biodiversity and climate action.
Expectations were high ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 which was meant to lay the foundation for the successful implementation of the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022. But did COP16 deliver the necessary outcomes?
In this webinar, we bring together leading experts from different backgrounds who attended the conference which took place in Cali, Colombia, between 21 October and 1 November. You will meet researchers, country delegates, topic experts and representatives from Indigenous communities who will share their experiences and insights.
Focalimember Professor Alexandre Antonelli from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and University of Gothenburg will set the scene and explain what is really at stake. Thereafter Focalimember Dr. Stephen Woroniecki, Principal Research Officer at WWT will moderate two expert panels, focusing on the outcomes of COP16. What came out of the negotiations and what are the implications for people and nature? Did COP16 bring us closer to peace with nature? And what happened to the aim of being a “COP of the people”?
The online event is a collaboration between Focali, SIANI, Stockholm Environment Institute, the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) at Lund University and Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate (BECC) of the University of Gothenburg and Lund University.
Read more about the event, speakers and register via the SIANI event page.
Side events at Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia
The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) will be held in Cali, Colombia, October 21-November 1. It will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework GBF at COP15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
The location for the meeting is one of the most biodiverse landscapes in the world and the focus is on how to transform commitments of the GBF into actions on the ground. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework. COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework.
At and around COP16 critical discussions will be held across sectors on the challenges and opportunities to reverse biodiversity loss and preserve ecosystems that life on earth depend on. To participate in the discussions, side-events and to report back from COP16 Focali will have two representatives from the network present. Stephen Woroniecki will be part of a team facilitating a multistakeholder dialogue process on how Human Rights Based Approaches can be incorporated into action on climate change and biodiversity loss at different levels of decision-making. Jesica Lopéz will focus on the role of bio-socioeconomies and models to reduce deforestation and be part of a side event on these issues.
Read more about Stephen and Jesica in this Focali news article and connect with them if at COP16.
Side events at COP16 supported by the Focali - SIANI collaboration:
Inclusive Conversations: Exploring the Role of a Human Rights-Based Approach for Biodiversity and Climate Action
22 Oct, 13.20 COL, Blue zone, Farallones - Youth meeting room Plaza One. On-site and online, interpretation online in English - Spanish - French
Read more about the inclusive conversation series on the Swedbio webpage and read more about events at COP16 related to the series on the CDKN webpage.
Partners involved in the series: The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-Net), a partnership-driven initiative by UNDP, UNEP-WCMC and UNESCO, together with SwedBio, Soka Gakkai International, Climate Development and Knowledge Network, and Focali, has conducted a dialogue process between May and October 2024 for advancing an HRBA for biodiversity and climate action. This dialogue process comprised a series of preparatory workshops, both in-person and online, which have led to a final multi-actor dialogue at COP16. Stakeholders engaged included Indigenous Peoples and local communities, women, youths, NGOs, State Parties, researchers and practitioners. The core aim was to strengthen the capacity of actors in understanding and implementing HRBA for biodiversity and climate action. The dialogue process was supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD).
Bioeconomy for biodiversity: Challenges in value chains of non-timber forest products
29 Oct, 13:00 COL, Green zone Universidad ECCI. On-site only, interpretation English - Spanish
SEI is hosting an event in the Green Zone of this Conference, where experts are meeting to discuss the role of biodiversity in driving the bioeconomy in tropical countries and the challenges facing non-timber forest products (NTFP) value chains. Read more about the event here.
Focali support the event via the Focali - SIANI collaboration and Focali member Jesica López is one of the panelists in the program.
Partners supporting the Stockholm Environment Institute in Colombia to arrange the event: Focali - The Forests, Climate and Livelihoods research network in collaboration with the SIANI network, Corporación Biotec , Biointropic, Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia, FAO – Colombia, Red Latinoamericana de Bioeconomía
26th IUFRO World Congress
The 26th IUFRO World Congress is THE global gathering of forest stakeholders, set to unfold in Stockholm, Sweden this summer.
Discover the latest research, innovations and applied science. Connect with policymakers and experts from all over the world, all committed to shaping a sustainable future for forests and society.