UN Biodiversity Conference
The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) will take place from 21 October to 1 November 2024, in Cali, Colombia.
This year’s theme 'Peace with Nature' is a call to reconsider the relationship between humans and ecosystems, an invitation to rethink an economic model that does not imply extraction, overexploitation or contamination of nature.
The Conference of the Parties is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. This agreement promotes sustainable development through a vision that involves ecosystems and people.
The Convention has three main goals:
- the conservation of biological diversity,
- the sustainable use of its components, and
- the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.
At COP16, countries will present updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Furthermore, it is expected that the monitoring framework will continue to be developed, and progress will continue in the mobilisation of resources for the implementation of the Global Framework
With participants from over 190 countries, COP16 will include governments, observer organisations, indigenous communities, businesses, youth groups, civil society, academia, and the general public.
Netherlands Pavilion
COP16 will also offer an exhibition area with booths, pavilions and country office spaces information. Dutch water sector organisations will participate in the exhibition, presenting their inspiring innovations at the Netherlands Pavilion organised by the Dutch Government.
The Pavilion includes an open space for thematic sessions on interlinkages among biodiversity, water and agrifood. The programming of these sessions will be coordinated by the Partners for Water Programme, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.