COP15 represents a major win for people and biodiversity justice, and an opportunity to make peace with nature

For immediate release.

TIO’TIA:KE [MONTREAL], 19 December 2022:

Today, after weeks of intense negotiations, governments adopted the Montreal – Kunming post-2020 Global biodiversity framework. This deal represents the beginning of a new chapter – following a decade of failed efforts – to end the devastation of nature and ecosystems, and a renewed global opportunity to transform societies’ relationship with nature by 2030.

This deal recognizes the fundamental role of Indigenous Peoples. Critically, the Kunming-Montreal deal calls for the conservation of 30% of lands and waters and for developed countries to mobilize US $30 billion in international finance for biodiversity efforts in developing countries, both by 2030. It calls for the creation of a new Global Biodiversity Fund to support developing countries with implementing the framework.

“This Kunming-Montreal deal is a transformational opportunity for biodiversity justice, a moment to secure a safe future away from current colonial, destructive and suicidal pathways,” declared Eddy Pérez, International Climate Diplomacy Director at Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat Canada (CAN-Rac). “We welcome Canada’s critical role in ensuring the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework. This must be a bottom line for ambition and an early demonstration of Canada’s efforts to address the underlying causes of the biodiversity and climate crises. With the mass extinctions we’re witnessing, the rapid disappearance of places and species we love and upon which we depend, the Montreal – Kunming deal must propel us forward into a new era of urgent action and solidarity.”

Whether or not the agreement lives up to its promise will depend on implementation at the domestic level. With no ratchet-up mechanism, accountability remains weak – so it will be crucial for civil society to continue mobilizing and holding governments to account.

Beyond its achievements on setting the nature agenda for the next decade, one notable success story from COP15 has been the productive dynamic between China as President of COP15 and Canada as host, a partnership that has helped move global conservation governance forward and which offers an opportunity for these two countries to work together towards the tackling of major global threats. 

“Throughout COP15, we have seen breakthrough cooperation between Canada and China,” observed Caroline Brouillette, CAN-Rac’s National Policy Director. “Despite rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries and human rights concerns that remain, the Chinese Presidency and Canada as host have demonstrated a remarkable coordination, effectiveness, and goodwill in working together, which has helped land the global solidarity necessary to achieve a deal at COP15. The question now is: how will this be carried beyond COP15 and nurtured to sustain Canada-China partnership to tackle the interconnected environmental crises?”

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