Resumed COP16 Session at FAO, Rome
On 25 February 2025, at 11:00 (UTC), the CBD Women’s Caucus hosted a press conference at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The event, titled «Urgent Call for Unlocking Financial Resources for Women: CBD Women’s Caucus Demands Agreements Rooted in Resumed COP16,» brought together key advocates and experts who addressed the pressing need for gender-responsive resource allocation and financial mechanisms in global biodiversity finance.
Context of Resumed COP16
The first part of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) took place in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1st, 2024. However, due to the loss of the needed quorum before completing its agenda, the session was suspended and continued in Rome from 25 to 27 February 2025, to finalize critical pending decisions, including those on resource mobilization and the Global biodiversity framework monitoring framework.
At the resumed sessions, the CBD Women’s Caucus presented an urgent call to ensure the inclusion of gender-responsive action in biodiversity finance. Women and girls, particularly those from Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and people of African descent, play an indispensable role in conservation efforts, yet remain largely excluded from financial decision-making and access to funding.
The Caucus underscored the relevance of maintaining the references to the human rights-based and the gender-responsive approaches to biodiversity finance, advocating for robust environmental and social safeguards to prevent harmful financing schemes that promote actions and activities that disproportionately affect women and girls, particularly those living in vulnerable conditions. The key demands put forward by the CBD Women’s Caucus included:
- Direct access to financial resources for women-led conservation initiatives.
- Dedicated funding for the effective and timely implementation of the Gender Plan of Action (GPA) and Target 23 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
- Reforms to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) processes to ensure the full, equitable, inclusive, effective and gender-responsive representation and participation in decision-making for women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as transparent reporting.
Key Speakers and Topics
Moderated by Fatima El-Aaraby, Communications Lead for the CBD Women’s Caucus, the press conference featured distinguished speakers who addressed various aspects of biodiversity finance:
- Edda Fernández Luiselli (AVAAZ) spoke on the Caucus’ stance regarding resource mobilization and the financial mechanism.
- Ana Di Pangracio (FARN) highlighted the urgent need for women to have direct access to financial resources.
- Cristina Eghenter (WWF International) presented the CBD Women’s Caucus position on the mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting, and reviewing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Nela Carnota (from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights office) explored the critical link between biodiversity finance and human rights.
A Call for Action: Closing the Biodiversity Funding Gap
The session emphasized actionable solutions to bridge the biodiversity funding gap and empower women as key stakeholders in the implementation of the GBF. By pushing for gender-responsive policies, increased transparency, and direct financial support, the CBD Women’s Caucus reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring justice, equity, and inclusion in global biodiversity efforts.
The press conference served as a powerful platform for advocating gender equity in biodiversity financing. It underscored the essential role of women in achieving global conservation goals and called upon policymakers, financial institutions, and international stakeholders to commit to inclusive and equitable financial mechanisms that truly support women’s leadership in biodiversity conservation.
As negotiations at the resumed COP16 continue, the CBD Women’s Caucus remains steadfast in its mission to secure transformative commitments that ensure sustainable, fair, and effective biodiversity finance for all.
Watch the full press conference here :
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