Cali, Colombia - October 21, 2024

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) called for participation of indigenous communities and governments around the world to the efforts of biodiversity protection.

Representatives of the host country Colombia's 115 indigenous communities helped open the 1st Plenary Session of COP16 on Monday in Cali. Their presence resonates with a goal set at COP15 in 2022 -- to ensure the involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities who are often at the frontlines of the world's biodiversity hotspots.

Colombia's Minister of Environment Susana Muhamad said that one of the government's four goals for a successful COP16 conference is to approve a plan for the participation of indigenous and local communities in the conservation of biodiversity.

COP16 wants to distinguish itself as the conference that will define action plans. Colombia published their Biodiversity Action Plan at the start of the conference. As the plenary sessions kicked off, officials said 31 out of 195 countries filed their national conservation plans to the UN biodiversity secretariat.

At the first plenary session, China handed the rotating presidency officially to Colombia who will lead COP16 and efforts to push for biodiversity conservation in the coming years.

In honor of China's work as president during the last conference, Colombia's environment minister handed her Chinese counterpart a replica of Colombia's sculpture, the Peace Dove. The gesture was done in thanks but also as a reminder of the UN Environment Programme's goal to live in "peace with nature" by striving towards a sustainable world.

Shotlist:
Cali, Colombia - Oct 21, 2024:
1. Various of representatives of Columbian indigenous people at first Plenary Session of COP16;
2. Participants;
3. Flag of UN, national flag of Columbia;
4. Various of Columbia's Biodiversity Action Plan;
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Biological Diversity (starting with shot 4):
"It's not just an environment ministry that can draft a plan and adopt it, it needs ministries from across governments to be a part of it, with energy, agriculture, industry, economy, development. So many of them need to come together and need to form a common vision and engage with civil society actors, including businesses, including indigenous people to make a good strategy and it was clear that this would take time.";
6. Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu (L2) applauding, shaking hands with Colombian Minister of Environment Susana Muhamad (R2);
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Huang Runqiu, Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment:
"[Biodiversity] is the blood vein and foundation of the community of all life on earth. The UN Secretary General Guterres says the complex biodiversity network sustains all life on earth, yet this network is unravelling at an alarming rate because of human activities.";
8. Guests on stage;
9. Table signs, microphones;
10. Poster of COP16, participants walking by.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]