COP15

COP15
UN Biodiversity · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	COP15
Full name	Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Date	December 2022
Location	Montreal
Convening organization	Convention on Biological Diversity
Participants	Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, observers, indigenous groups, NGOs

COP15

COP15 was the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Montreal in December 2022, following preparatory meetings in Kunming and virtual sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit produced a global biodiversity framework endorsed by a large majority of Parties, reflecting long negotiations among state delegations, subnational authorities, and civil society actors including Indigenous organizations and scientific networks. The meeting linked prior multilateral processes such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

Background and Context

The meeting built on the history of the Convention on Biological Diversity established at the Earth Summit in 1992 and previous Conferences of the Parties including the landmark Nagoya Protocol and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. It occurred in the wake of global assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and linked to findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Preparations included informal negotiations at the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and political consultations among Parties such as China, United States, European Union, Brazil, and South Africa. Host-city arrangements followed precedents set by multilateral meetings in Paris and Glasgow.

Objectives and Negotiation Topics

Primary objectives included agreeing a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, targets for protected and conserved areas, resource mobilization, and mechanisms for benefit-sharing under the Nagoya Protocol. Negotiators debated quantitative targets inspired by prior proposals from India, Canada, Mexico, and coalition groupings such as the African Group, the Alliance of Small Island States, and the Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries. Topics also encompassed mainstreaming biodiversity into sectors influenced by actors like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization, and technical issues addressed by scientific bodies including the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership.

Participants and Stakeholders

Delegations from Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity included ministers and negotiators from countries such as China, United States, Brazil, India, Australia, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Japan. Observers included representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Indigenous organizations like the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, and non-governmental organizations including WWF, Conservation International, Greenpeace, and The Nature Conservancy. Subnational actors such as the City of Montreal and provincial governments participated alongside scientific institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and academic consortia like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Major Outcomes and Agreements

Delegates adopted a global biodiversity framework establishing multiple targets for 2030 and 2050, including area-based conservation goals, resource mobilization commitments, and measures for equitable benefit-sharing under the Nagoya Protocol. The framework included a widely reported target to conserve and manage a fraction of terrestrial and marine areas, echoing proposals from the High Ambition Coalition and negotiating positions advanced by Costa Rica and Norway. Financial commitments involved pledges from multilateral development banks such as the World Bank and bilateral contributors including Germany and France, and mechanisms to address debt-for-nature swaps promoted by actors like Seychelles and Belize. The agreement recognized Indigenous and local community rights referenced in submissions by the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.

Implementation and Follow-up Mechanisms

Implementation pathways involved national biodiversity strategies and action plans to be revised by Parties, reporting mechanisms through the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and monitoring frameworks coordinated with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and indicator work by the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership. Financial mobilization relied on contributions from the Global Environment Facility, multilateral banks including the Asian Development Bank, and private finance initiatives led by philanthropic organizations such as the Global Environment Facility partners and foundations like the MacArthur Foundation. Follow-up included mid-term reviews at subsequent Conferences of the Parties, technical support from the United Nations Environment Programme, and capacity-building programs involving the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Controversies and Criticisms

Critiques addressed perceived vagueness of certain targets and the adequacy of financial commitments, voiced by civil society groups including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Some Indigenous organizations and scholars linked to institutions such as the University of Oxford and Yale University raised concerns about implementation of rights-based protections and the operationalization of customary tenure rights. Negotiations faced political friction between major emitters and biodiversity-rich countries such as Brazil and Indonesia over finance and sovereignty, mirroring tensions seen at meetings like the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Environmental economists and analysts from the World Resources Institute and the Global Canopy questioned monitoring robustness and potential loopholes related to area-based targets.

Category:Convention on Biological Diversity conferences