Saving Ecosystems, Making Peace with Nature ‘Defining Task’ of Twenty-First Century, Secretary-General Tells Biodiversity Segment, Stressing Alternative Is Unthinkable

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks for the high-level segment of the Sixteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16) on Biodiversity, in Cali today: 

Thank you for hosting this important session, here in Cali — a microcosm of our planet's rich biodiversity.  Nature is life.  And yet we are waging a war against it.  A war where there can be no winner.  Every year, we see temperatures climbing higher.  Every day, we lose more species.  Every minute, we dump a garbage truck of plastic waste into our oceans, rivers and lakes.

Make no mistake.  This is what an existential crisis looks like.  No country, rich or poor, is immune to the devastation inflicted by climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and pollution.  These environmental crises are intertwined.  They know no borders.  And they are devastating ecosystems and livelihoods, threatening human health and undermining sustainable development.

The drivers of this destruction are embedded in outdated economic models, fuelling unsustainable production and consumption patterns.  They are multiplied by inequalities — in wealth and power.  And with each passing day, we are edging closer to tipping points that could fuel further hunger, displacement, and even armed conflicts.  We have already altered 75 per cent of the Earth's land surface and 66 per cent of its ocean environments.

Biodiversity is humanity's ally.  We must move from plundering it to preserving it.  As I have said time and again, making peace with nature is the defining task of the twenty-first century.

That is the spirit of today's Declaration of the World Coalition for Peace with Nature:  A call for action to enhance national and international efforts towards a balanced and harmonious relationship with nature — protecting nature and conserving, restoring and sustainably using and sharing our global biodiversity.  A call to recognize the vital knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous people, people of African descent, farmers and local communities.  A call for life.

Last month, UN Member States adopted the Pact for the Future. The Pact recognizes the need to accelerate efforts to restore, protect, conserve and sustainably use the environment. It emphasizes the importance of halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, and other terrestrial and marine ecosystems that act as sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases. 

This means conserving biodiversity, while ensuring social and environmental safeguards — in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

When the Framework was adopted two years ago in Montreal, the world made bold commitments to living in harmony with nature by mid-century. Its goals and targets require robust monitoring, reporting, and review arrangements to track progress, as well as a resource mobilization package to increase finance for biodiversity from all sources — mobilizing at least $200 billion per year by 2030. 

But we must now turn these promises into action in four vital ways. 

First — at the national level, all countries must finally present clear, ambitious and detailed plans to align with the Framework’s targets.  These national plans should be developed in coordination with nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans — with positive outcomes in the Sustainable Development Goals.  We must shift to nature-positive business models and production:  renewable energies and sustainable supply chains, zero-waste policies and circular economies, regenerative agriculture and sustainable farming practices.  These must become the default for Governments and businesses alike.

Second — we must agree on a strengthened monitoring and transparency framework.  This is not only vital for accountability but also about enabling course corrections and driving ambition. 

Third — finance promises must be kept and support to developing countries accelerated.  We cannot afford to leave Cali without new pledges to adequately capitalize the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, and without commitments to mobilize other sources of public and private finance to deliver the Framework — in full. 

And we must bring the private sector on board.  Those profiting from nature cannot treat it like a free, infinite resource.  They must step up and contribute to its protection and restoration.  By operationalizing the mechanism on the sharing of benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources, we will give them one clear avenue to do so, bringing more equity and inclusivity.

Finally — in the spirit of this “COP de la gente”, we must engage all parts of society, in particular Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent, and local communities.

Too often, they have been on the sidelines of global environmental policy.  Too often, environmental defenders have been threatened and killed.  Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent, and local communities are guardians of our nature.  Their traditional knowledge is a living library of biodiversity conservation.  They must be protected.  And they must be part of every biodiversity conversation. 

The establishment of a permanent subsidiary body within the Convention on Biological Diversity would mark a significant step forward, ensuring Indigenous voices are heard at every stage of the process.  Peace with nature means peace for those who protect it.  We must defend the people who defend nature. 

Across all these areas, we know progress is possible.  Many countries around the world are stepping up to lead the way.  Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Malaysia are leading by example by ramping up efforts to curb deforestation.  The Congo Basin is intensifying efforts to increase protected area coverage.  The European Union’s Nature Restoration Law is a step towardx halting and reversing biodiversity loss. 

Mobilizing all countries — each with different levels of wealth and capacities — is challenging.  But swift global cooperation can provide the defence we so desperately need — against wildfires, floods, extreme weather, and pandemics. 

Last year’s Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction demonstrated our determination for every hectare of the planet.  We need the same determination later in the year as countries come together to conclude negotiations on a landmark treaty to tackle plastic pollution.  Let us be inspired and lifted by these examples. 

We are in Cali to accelerate progress, commit resources, and elevate the role of Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent, and local communities.   We can — and we must — save the ecosystems that sustain us and keep our climate goals within reach.

The alternative is unthinkable.  The survival of our planet — and our own — is on the line.  Let us choose wisely.  Let us choose life.  Let us make peace with nature.