The second resumed session of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) took place between 25 and 27 February 2025 in Rome, Italy.

After the suspension of the initial session in Cali, Colombia, in late 2024 due to a lack of quorum, an initial resumed session took place online in December, focusing on budget-related decisions. For the second resumed session, in person in Rome, the focus was on a series of key decisions where consensus had not been reached. These related to biodiversity finance; to planning, monitoring, reporting and review; and to the monitoring framework to measure progress towards the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Monitoring Framework (KMGBF).

Meanwhile, in the margins, the Cali Fund for the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources was launched.

Negotiations ran late into the night as Parties worked through the details of the outstanding decisions, but in the early hours of the 28 February, consensus was reached and CBD COP16 drew to a successful close. As COP16 President Susana Mohamed brought the gavel down on proceedings, she thanked those present for their “dedication to continue strengthening the global biodiversity agenda”.

The following key decisions were adopted.

Resource mobilization

The second resumed session of CBD COP16 landed a highly anticipated decision on resource mobilization. This decision will shape discussions and actions on biodiversity finance through to 2030 and beyond, both at international and national levels. It establishes a path forward for:

1. Mobilizing resources from all sources – public and private, domestic and international – to close the biodiversity finance gap.
2. Resolving a long-unresolved issue regarding the financial mechanism of the Convention, which is aimed at operationalizing international financial flows from developed to developing countries in order to fulfil commitments under Article 20 of the Convention.

These are two interconnected but distinct topics, and we now have a consensus agenda on how they should be addressed.

Firstly, the decision delivers a revised resource mobilization strategy, running until 2030. This strategy includes enabling actions and an increase in international and domestic resource mobilization for biodiversity from all sources, through:

• Identification of new and additional resources (for example, increased investments by multilateral development banks, blended finance and private investments in biodiversity);
• Tackling financial flows that cause harm to biodiversity, such as biodiversity-related risk disclosures by multinational corporations and the reform of harmful subsidies;
• Improvements in resource provision and utilization.

Secondly, the decision provides a roadmap to support Parties in deciding, by CBD COP18 in 2028, on the establishment of a permanent arrangement for the financial mechanism, in accordance with Article 21 of the Convention. Since 1992, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has operated as the interim financial mechanism of the Convention.

Financial mechanism

CBD COP16 also resulted in a decision on the financial mechanism of the Convention, focusing on the GEF and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF). This decision includes a series of requests to enhance the effectiveness of the financial mechanism, including to gain understanding on the reasons for the underuse of the funding available to support implementation of the CBD Protocols. The COP also adopted the four-year framework of biodiversity programme priorities of the CBD and its Protocols to inform the next GEF replenishment (2026–2030); this is the periodic process through which donor countries contribute new financial resources to the GEF.

The GBFF, a new fund established at COP15 in Montreal to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Monitoring Framework, is also managed by the GEF. The decision indicates appreciation for the fact that the GBFF is now operational and for the initial contributions (from Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the provincial government of Quebec), which amounted to approximately USD 382 million. However, it also highlights the need to scale up resource mobilization and expresses regret over the lack of contributions from the private and financial sectors.

Monitoring framework for the KMGBF

This decision provides a set of agreed Indicators for tracking progress towards the goals and targets of the KMGBF in the seventh and eighth national reports. The decision is the result of a two-year process ongoing since COP15, and the contents of the monitoring framework itself were guided by the work of an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (that consisted of 45 experts from governments and CBD observer organisations), supported by UNEP-WCMC. The decision on the monitoring framework is a vital step in establishing common monitoring and reporting measures for all Parties, to assess implementation of the KMGBF at the national level.

One of the new additions to the monitoring framework is an indicator for Target 22, on land-use change and land tenure in the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This is a key indicator that monitors the rights that individuals or groups hold over land, territory and natural resources, and recognizes the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting biodiversity and traditional knowledge.

Mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and review

Parties advanced their work to deliver the enhanced multidimensional approach to planning, monitoring, reporting and review.

A key element of the decision refers to the procedures for undertaking the global review of collective progress in the implementation of the KMGBF. This review will be made available to COP17 in 2026 and COP19 in 2030. Its outcomes will be key to understanding progress towards achievement of the global goals and targets of the KMGBF and identifying areas where implementation should be strengthened. It will be a Party-driven process and will include a global report focussed on assessing progress in the implementation of the KMGBF.

COP16 landed key decisions to strengthen implementation of the KMGBF. Governments now have all the international building blocks in place to deliver on their commitments for biodiversity. Urgent action is now needed at the national level to convert these commitments into real progress.

Neville Ash, Director, UNEP-WCMC

Parties also adopted the templates that will be used to submit the national reports which are due in 2026 and 2029. These will be the primary source of information for the global review.

Last but not least, in recognition that the KMGBF needs to be delivered through a whole-of-society approach, Parties agreed on the approach for the communication and consideration of commitments by actors other than national governments.

To view the documents considered by the COP, including the draft decisions set out above, visit the CBD website.

Main image by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis