EU to work towards agreement on pending decisions at biodiversity COP16 in Rome

Parties will gather in Rome on Tuesday as negotiations resume under the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), to agree on crucial issues for the implementation of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Key issues where parties and stakeholders will seek consensus include closing the biodiversity funding gap by mobilising financial resources from all sources, establishing strong review mechanisms and updating the monitoring framework.

Achieving peace with nature by advancing the implementation of the GBF is crucial for our economies, food security, wellbeing and health, for effective climate action and resilience. In an increasingly challenging geopolitical landscape that also affects biodiversity policies and financing, success in Rome will be a significant step forward. 

Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, said:

“The EU and its Member States remain fully committed to the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. At these resumed negotiations, together we must find a way to continue mobilising resources from all sources and ensure continued biodiversity financing after 2030 that is effective and coherent. We are ready to work together with all parties to move forward and build on the progress made in Cali.”

Adopting all outstanding decisions

The 16th CBD Conference of the Parties that took place in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024 was overall a success and led to several achievements. However, parties could not reach an agreement on all decisions needed to properly implement the Framework.

The EU is working with partners and is seeking consensus on all the pending draft decisions: resource mobilisation, the financing mechanism, the monitoring framework, the arrangements for planning, monitoring, reporting and review, the financial mechanism, cooperation between Multilateral Environmental Agreements and International Organisation and processes, the multiyear programme of work and on administrative matters.

Most discussion is expected on resource mobilisation. On other matters, fair compromises seem to be within reach.

EU financing

The EU and its Member States are the main providers of international biodiversity funding. The Commission already announced a doubling of its international biodiversity financing to €7 billion for the 2021-2027 period. It is already delivering on important flagship projects, such as the €1.4 billion NaturAfrica initiative.

Most of the support is provided as part of bilateral cooperation and is aimed at supporting partners in implementing the GBF. In addition, the EU aims to leverage additional funding from domestic or private sources mobilising a large toolbox (blending, guarantees, green bonds).

The European sustainable financing initiative will help to direct additional finance to support investments in biodiversity. The EU budget allocates 10% for biodiversity-related activities in the EU from 2026 onwards. It is also integrating biodiversity into other funding programmes while maximising synergies with our climate agenda. 

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets ambitious targets for biodiversity finance, both domestically and internationally. In Montreal, parties agreed to increase global biodiversity financing to $200 billion per year by 2030. This financing should come from all sources: domestic and international, public and private. Donor countries also committed to increase international biodiversity finance to $20 billion by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030. 

Background

The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) provides clear goals and targets, and a roadmap to protect and restore biodiversity worldwide. 

COP16 took place in Cali, Colombia, and was the first time countries got together after the signature of the GBF in 2022. At COP16, countries made substantial progress in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework by agreeing on: 

• A multilateral mechanism for the use of digital sequencing information from genetic resources (DSI) by establishing a new Fund, called the Cali Fund;  
• An expanded role for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in saving biodiversity and a historical decision recognising the role of people of African descent in biodiversity conservation;  
• Establishing a network of regional Centres for Scientific and Technical Cooperation. The European Commission will host one of the centres;  
• Adopting an action plan for biodiversity and health;   
• Procedures to describe ecologically and or biologically significant marine areas, essential for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty and for protecting 30% of ocean areas by 2030. 

Currently, 46 countries have submitted revised National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and 124 countries have uploaded their national targets to the online reporting tool. National reports are due by 28 February 2026.

After the resumed sessions in Rome, the next Conference of the Parties - COP17- will take place in 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia.  

More information

EU and global biodiversity webpage

Two years of landmark Global Biodiversity Framework show results, but work must continue

Euronews ‘Road to Green’ episode 13: Silencing guns, not birds - how the EU and Colombia are making peace with nature

COP16: EU delivers on global financing commitments to protect nature - European Commission