Dear Planetary Steward, dear friend of the Global Commons Alliance,
Tomorrow the high-level segment of COP16in Colombia begins. This is where the nearly 200 environmental leaders gathered in Cali must reach consensus and act to halt and reverse nature loss, and find $200 billion per year to fund its implementation.
On the ground here in Cali, despite the significant lack of funding—only millions have been raised for implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework so far—it feels like collective progress is possible. Indigenous Peoples, the global majority, and women are better represented and integrated across the summit than ever before. In particular, Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral wisdom is being clearly recognized, following years of being overlooked at international summits despite their critical and high-risk roles as guardians of our planet’s ecosystems.
In a GCA Earth Commission event about the applicability of the Safe And Just Earth System Boundaries in Latin America and beyond, panelists highlighted how Indigenous communities are informing and combining their knowledge with scientific research. This approach is also helping to break down boundaries to enable systemic solutions in threatened landscapes, such as the mighty Pantanal wetland in Brazil. This morning the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) announced the first-ever public corporate adoption of science-based targets for freshwater and land – a major step forward in advancing ambitious and measurable corporate action on nature. SBTN has held several events at COP16, including one today sharing corporate insights from its year-long target validation pilot, as well as a session on how cities can translate global biodiversity goals into local action.
Today the GCA Accountability Accelerator, host of the independent target validation function of the SBTN, announcedramped up preparations to start validating corporate science-based targets for nature. As well as hosting a crucial discussion on protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights and addressing the impacts of transition mineral extraction today, last week the Accountability Accelerator also hosted a successful community-building workshop, as well as a panel showcasing groundbreaking accountability tools and technologies that are driving corporate nature and climate action in Africa, Indonesia and Latin America.
Together with Margarita Astralaga, our Chair who is of Cali descent, I was privileged to host a special evening reception in which we welcomed over a hundred partners, grantees, Indigenous leaders, donors and allies. We introduced our 2030 ambition and the four bold goals of our strategy, which you can read in English and Spanish. We shared stories about bold change throughout history, which remind us that the massive societal shifts we need for a healthy, safe and just future, are possible to achieve. There was a tangible sense of hope and solidarity among this diverse group, and we talked and danced with the help of a local salsa band, late into the evening.
My conversations with leaders from around the globe—from mayors, companies and NGOs to artists, indigenous leaders and young people—reinforce this feeling of convergence around taking positive action for nature. And a walk around the colorful, bustling Green Zone of events and stands in the city alongside the Cali river would lift any spirit. This is the first biodiversity COP to host a Green Zone which has been a brilliant success; sharing and connecting the COP with the people, so that the whole city feels engaged as the proud host of this globally significant convening.
These are just a few highlights from our time at COP16, but you can find more summaries and photos on our Linkedin and website. Above all, thank you for joining us. I sincerely hope that the connections we have made here translate far beyond Cali, to contribute to collective action everywhere.
All my best,
Jane
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