Monitoring, evaluation and finance on agenda at resumed session of UN Biodiversity Conference

The parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will convene in Rome, Italy on 25–27 February 2025. The COP16.2 session will continue the negotiations on items that remained open in Cali, Colombia in November. The aim is to reach an agreement on the monitoring, evaluation and financing of the global biodiversity targets. Finland’s delegation will be led by Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

In 2022, the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on targets through which biodiversity loss will be halted by 2030. The aim for the session in Rome is to reach a common understanding on a monitoring framework, i.e. how the countries will report on their actions. At the core of the framework are 45 indicators concerning the progress made in terms of protected and restored areas and e.g. increasing the level of financial resources for biodiversity, combating invasive alien species, reducing subsidies that are harmful for biodiversity, and making use of nature-based solutions. In addition, an agreement should be reached on the global review, i.e. how progress towards the common targets will be evaluated. Finland negotiates in the session as part of the EU.

“We are committed to halting biodiversity loss globally over the next five years. Reporting and evaluation will give us a situational picture of whether the implementation is effective and we are progressing in the right direction fast enough. It is important that reporting is comprehensive, open and transparent,” Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala says. 

“The EU serves as a good example when it comes to these themes. For example, this summer we reported on the implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives, and work on the restoration plans is now under way in all Member States. Similar systematic implementation and monitoring will be needed on the global scale,” says Chief Negotiator Marina von Weissenberg from the Ministry of the Environment.  

Finance a key theme in the negotiations

The meeting in Cali dragged on largely because of disputes concerning financing. In particular, the countries disagreed on how the finance architecture of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will be developed and what are the targets set for mobilising finances for the post-2030 period. 

Developing countries want to set up a new fund directly under the Conference of the Parties, even if the Global Biodiversity Fund under the Global Environment Fund (GEF) was launched just a little over a year ago. Finland and the EU have stressed that the creation of new funds would further fragment the financial sources, and it would be more important to develop and improve the existing financing channels. GEF serves as the financing mechanisms for six major international environment and climate agreements, which is why the projects under it can better respond to interdependent environmental problems. 

Colombia, as the President of COP16, published a proposal for a compromise on the finance issues on Friday 14 February. In the proposal, Colombia seeks to identify criteria to improve the finance architecture. The proposal also includes a road map on ways to increase biodiversity financing from all sources by 2030.

According to OECD, international biodiversity financing for developing countries has more than doubled over the past decade, and it seems that the target of USD 20 billion for 2025 will be reached. The EU and its Member States are the main supporters of actions to strengthen biodiversity in developing countries. However, the estimated need for total financing by 2030 to protect and enhance biodiversity is USD 200 billion. 

“For Finland it is important that financing to prevent biodiversity loss will be increased from all sources. The key issues for strengthening biodiversity include developing financial incentives, identifying the impacts of economic activities on biodiversity and addressing actions and subsidies that are harmful for biodiversity. Actions with the greatest impact will be achieved through cooperation between the private and public sector,” Minister Multala says. 

IPBES reports published in December will colour the discussions

The negotiations in Rome will be coloured by the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES published in December. The reports show how extensively the loss of biodiversity affects human wellbeing and the stability of societies as it threatens many things, including food production and access to clean water. The key message is that stopping the decline in biodiversity requires coherent policy measures across sectoral borders and a comprehensive systemic change. 
“The reports stress that biodiversity loss is not just an environmental issue but also an economic one. If we fail to halt biodiversity loss and continue to weaken our natural capital, the impacts and costs for societies will grow significantly. Wise biodiversity policy is also wise economic policy,” Minister Multala says. 

Finland’s National Biodiversity Strategy finalised for consultation

National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans are the key tools for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity. By mid-February 46 countries had submitted their strategies and action plans to the CBD Secretariat. In addition, 124 countries had shared their national targets for information. Updating Finland’s National Strategy and Action Plan is being finalised at political level. The aim is to send the strategy out for comments during the spring. Draft versions of Finland’s national targets have already been submitted to the CBD Secretariat. 

Inquiries

Lyydia Ylönen 
Special Adviser to Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala 
tel. +358 50 476 1341 
(in Rome 25–28 February)

Marina von Weissenberg 
Finland’s Chief Negotiator for UN Convention on Biodiversity 
tel. +358 50 307 0806 
(in Rome 24-28 February) 

Laura Rajaniemi (finance) 
Counsellor 
Ministry for Foreign Affairs 
tel. +358 50 477 1612 
(in Rome 24–28 February) 

Joona Lehtomäki (national biodiversity strategies, monitoring) 
Senior Specialist 
tel. +358 50 598 6162 (24th of February onwards) 

Riikka Lamminmäki (requests for interviews with Minister Multala and negotiators during the meeting) 
Director of Communications 
tel. +358 50 576 2604 
(21st of February onwards, in Rome 24–28 February) 

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the most important agreement in terms of safeguarding biodiversity. The objectives of the CBD are the protection of habitats, species and ecosystems, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. Biodiversity is safeguarded by measures that enhance the value and state of natural ecosystems and species and their genetic resources. The Convention has been adopted by 196 parties and it entered into force in 1993. The United States is not a party to the Convention. 

• Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services approved (in Finnish)
• UN Biodiversity Conference reached agreement on genetic resources fund – other major issues remained unresolved
• Reflection note by the President of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in relation to agenda item 11 | cbd.int
• Draft national targets of Finland submitted to CBD Secretariat | cbd.int