After seven days of deliberations by the contact groups, the conclusions on the most difficult points in the debate are expected to begin to take shape, such as the definition of the investments that will feed the Global Biodiversity Fund, and the access and distribution of genetic material.

Another of the issues that the delegates have been seeking to solve for days is the one related to the initiative promoted by Colombia and Brazil, which propose the inclusion and differentiated recognition of Afro-descendant peoples within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

In the words of President of COP16, Susana Muhamad, another of the objectives is the implementation of a monitoring system through the establishment of parameters to evaluate the fulfillment of the agreed goals.

During this day, there will be an important announcement related to the financing for Biodiversity in Colombia, which involves the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers and Vice Ministers of Environment will also begin to arrive in this city for the high-level segment that will take place in the “Zona Azul del Centro de Eventos del Valle del Pacífico” between October 29th and 30th.

The Government of Colombia hopes that this meeting will go down in history as the “COP of the People” due to the unprecedented participation in its activities of a significant number of representatives of indigenous communities, Afro-descendant settlements and peasant leaders.

According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia supports the idea that these should be dialogues of the people, not just of governments and States. “That is why we are proposing a declaration of Peace with Nature, to which not only the governments but each one of us will adhere. We invite you to adhere to this declaration and that this should be the starting point to build, to create a great global coalition of reconciliation, of Peace with Nature,” he explained.

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