The CBD Women’s Caucus recently hosted (20 November 2024) the insightful webinar What Did COP16 Bring for Women & Girls? An Assessment from a Human Rights Approach. This session aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the gender-responsive outcomes of COP16, exploring how these policies intersect with women’s rights and human rights in biodiversity governance.
The objectives of the session were clear:
- To assess the successes and challenges of COP16 outcomes from a gender justice perspective.
- To equip participants with insights into the broader implications of these outcomes for women and girls.
- To foster dialogue on advancing human rights and gender equity in biodiversity governance.
Moderated by Ms. Fatima El-aaraby, Communications Coordinator for the CBD Women’s Caucus, the session brought together policy experts, advocates, and participants to engage in meaningful discussions on these critical issues.
Key Highlights
Ms. Amelia Arreguín, Coordinator of the CBD Women’s Caucus, opened the webinar with a strong message of purpose and determination. She shared that the primary objective of the Women’s Caucus at COP16 was to embed a human rights perspective into the negotiations and decisions.
Ms. Arreguín stressed that the Caucus’s advocacy goes beyond securing mentions of women in policy language. Instead, it focuses on integrating gender justice and women’s rights into all aspects of biodiversity governance. She acknowledged both the successes and challenges faced during COP16, pointing to the broader global resistance to human rights and gender equity.
Despite these challenges, she underscored the interconnectedness of biodiversity policies with broader human rights, environmental, and economic issues. She also expressed gratitude for the Caucus team’s tireless efforts, which ensured meaningful engagement and representation during COP16.
Panel: COP16 Working Group 1
- National biodiversity strategies and action plans (Item 8)
Presented by Ms. Sharon Ruthia from Kenya, the discussion on NBSAPs underscored the need for inclusive and transparent processes in revising national biodiversity strategies to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Key outcomes included encouraging the full participation of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples, integrating human rights considerations, and addressing systemic barriers to gender equality. Challenges such as resource limitations and the absence of gender-sensitive indicators in monitoring frameworks were noted, with recommendations focusing on strengthening participatory processes and protecting women environmental defenders.
- Digital sequence information on genetic resources (Item 9)
Presented by Ms. Edda Fernandez from Mexico, the session highlighted the significant yet contentious progress made on the operationalization of benefit-sharing mechanisms for the use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. Key sectors like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and cosmetics will share benefits, with academic and public research entities exempted to maintain open access. Notably, at least half of the Global Fund’s allocations will directly benefit Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including women and youth within these groups. The details on benefit allocation and governance will be finalized at COP17, marking a critical step forward in equitable biodiversity governance.
- Mechanisms for Planning, Monitoring, Reporting, and Review (Item 10)
Presented by Ms. Cristina Eghenter from Italy, this item highlighted key advancements and challenges in developing mechanisms to track the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The process resulted in two decisions, though negotiations are incomplete and will continue in the extended COP16 session. Notable outcomes included urging parties to incorporate a human rights-based approach through Section C of the framework and securing the development of new indicators, including headline indicators for Target 23. While disaggregation by sex and gender remains optional for some critical targets, progress was made in ensuring gender representation in the ad hoc advisory group and integrating contributions from Indigenous Peoples and women into the global review. Further advocacy will be necessary to strengthen gender-responsive monitoring and voluntary contributions for future stocktakes.
- Resource mobilization and financial mechanism (Item 11)
Presented by Ms Valentina Figuera from Venezuela, the resource mobilisation discussions at COP16 were marked by a divide between the global North and South. The Global South pushed for a dedicated Global Biodiversity Fund, while the North supported the existing Global Environmental Facility, which many developing countries criticize as inadequate. Although the revised strategy includes capacity-building efforts, it lacks direct funding access for women, youth, and indigenous communities. Advocates will need to continue pushing for stronger, gender-responsive funding mechanisms to implement decisions like the Gender Plan of Action and transformative change.
- Capacity Building and Knowledge Management (Item 12)
Ms. Isimemen Osemwegie from Nigeria highlighted the restructuring of Item 12 into two distinct documents: one focusing on capacity building, development, technical cooperation, and technology transfer, and the other on the Clearing House Mechanism and Knowledge Management. While the texts include mentions of women’s involvement, the key issue remains the lack of clarity on how these actions will be implemented. Questions around the process, such as how women can effectively engage with parties, share capacity-building activities, and collaborate with technical support centers, remain unresolved. Without clear guidelines, timelines, and coordination, these initiatives may struggle to be fully realized, leaving many important opportunities for women’s active participation in biodiversity governance untapped.
- Implementation of Article 8(j) and related provisions (Item 14)
Ms. Shruti Ajit from India highlighted several significant outcomes from COP16, with the establishment of a permanent subsidiary body on Article 8(j) being a landmark decision. This will require countries to elect national focal points for better engagement. Another key decision recognized the unique roles of people of African descent with traditional lifestyles, thanks to the advocacy of Colombia and Brazil. A new program of work was also adopted, incorporating strong human rights and gender-responsive principles, including direct access to funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Additionally, the recognition of women’s pivotal role in the intergenerational transfer of traditional knowledge was successfully retained in the dialogue on traditional knowledge, a victory for the Women’s Caucus. These decisions mark a monumental step forward in advancing the rights and participation of women, indigenous peoples, and local communities in biodiversity governance.
Panel: COP16 Working Group 2
- Scientific and technical needs to support the implementation of the KM GBF (Item 16)
Ms. Pryianka Pandey discussed the ongoing efforts to retain crucial language in paragraph 2D, which emphasizes human rights-based approaches (HRBA), equity, and gender equality. Despite strong support from countries like Panama, Mexico, and several SIDS, the language remains in brackets, as Russia and the EU opposed its removal. While no new programs of work were introduced, there was a decision to conduct a strategic review of existing programs, with opportunities for women to provide submissions on their experiences. The decision is still pending, but advocates remain hopeful that paragraph 2D will be fully adopted, ensuring gender equality is embedded in future biodiversity work.
- Diverse values of biodiversity (Item 18)
Ms. Melissa Felipe from Peru, shared that while there were no contact groups for Item 18, the outcomes were generally positive. One major success was the inclusion of the IPBES report on methodologies for assessing biodiversity’s diverse values, which emphasizes the participation of women, Indigenous peoples, local communities (IPLCs), and youth. However, a proposal for policy reforms based on these assessments was removed, and the text was slightly diluted. Despite this, Bolivia successfully pushed for a new area of work on the diverse values of biodiversity, which was later incorporated into Item 16, marking a significant achievement for the broader biodiversity discussions.
- Sustainable wildlife management (Item 19)
Presented by Ms. Joyce Peshu, from Kenya, who noted that while there were no opportunities for direct intervention during plenary, the discussions led to significant changes. One key achievement was the recognition of women as essential stakeholders in wildlife management, along with the inclusion of gender equity, Indigenous knowledge, and rights in the decision. New guidance was added on inclusive decision-making and equitable distribution of costs and benefits. Additionally, the text on finance mechanisms shifted from a focus on biodiversity credits to innovative finance mechanisms, emphasizing support for Indigenous peoples, local communities, women, and youth. While the process lacked direct contributions from the CBD Women’s Caucus during plenary, the final decisions were seen as inclusive and gender-responsive.
- Marine and coastal biodiversity and island biodiversity (Item 20)
Ms. Pamela Tapia Diaz, from Mexico, highlighted the importance of women’s inclusion in workshops to describe or modify EBSAs, a demand that was partially met with limited language on women’s participation. The item was contentious, with limited opportunities for observer participation. A key achievement was the mention of synergies between the CBD process and the BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), aiming to facilitate the description of EBSAs under both processes. Despite challenges, a major success was the inclusion of a paragraph ensuring the participation of Indigenous peoples, local communities, women, girls, children, and youth in the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. Additionally, a focus on capacity building for women in marine ecosystems was included. However, several important elements, such as addressing small-scale fisheries’ contributions, were removed, and more work is needed to strengthen synergies between the CBD and BBNJ negotiations.
- Biodiversity’s intersection with climate change (Item 25)
As presented by Ms Meenal Tatpati, from India, at COP 16, the discussion on the interlinkages between climate change and biodiversity focused on ensuring that actions to address these crises are gender-responsive and safeguard human rights. While the women’s caucus pushed for strong language to protect the rights of women, girls, Indigenous peoples, and local communities, particularly regarding land use and climate solutions, much of this language was diluted. The original recommendations, including safeguards on geoengineering and the protection of women’s rights in climate solutions, were weakened, with key text removed. Despite these challenges, some progress was made in ensuring the inclusion of gender-responsive measures in future climate and biodiversity actions.
Access the Recording and Materials
If you missed the session or wish to explore the content further:
👉👉👉 Slides: Accessible in all three languages to review the session’s content at your own pace.
👉👉👉 Recording: Available in English, Spanish, and French.
A Collective Call to Action
This webinar highlighted the critical importance of ensuring gender justice and human rights in biodiversity governance. The discussions served as a reminder of the powerful collective advocacy by the CBD Women’s Caucus and its partners.
We hope this session provides valuable insights and inspires continued collaboration to secure a just and inclusive future for women and girls in biodiversity governance. Stay tuned for more updates and events from the CBD Women’s Caucus!
