The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a decision to hold at its headquarters in Rome, Italy the resumed sessions of the UN Biodiversity Conference, including the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) from 25 to 27 February 2025. 

In October 2024, delegates from 196 countries met in Cali to discuss the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the global progress in conserving and sustainably using biodiversity. At COP16, countries were able to adopt several key and monumental decisions, but a number of draft decisions were not considered by the final plenary and are therefore pending adoption. 

The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean underscored at COP16 the crucial role of food systems in tackling climate change and the loss of marine and terrestrial biodiversity. It maintained a full agenda, emphasizing the importance of climate financing, the One Health approach, pollinators, the bioeconomy, protected areas, and restoration in achieving these objectives.

Rome – In anticipation of COP29, FAO has released a new report examining biodiversity actions within agrifood systems in countries' NDCs. Findings reveal critical opportunities to align climate action with biodiversity and food security, especially by addressing gaps in aquaculture and non-forest ecosystems.

FAO's participation at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, spotlighted the essential role of agrifood systems in advancing biodiversity goals. Under the theme "Peace with Nature," FAO engaged leaders to prioritize sustainable agriculture in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, supporting global efforts to combat biodiversity loss and climate change. Through numerous events and partnerships, FAO emphasized transformative agrifood solutions to secure a sustainable future.

FAO presented at COP16 its progress in Latin America and the Caribbean towards the targets set in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which outlines concrete goals for the protection of global biodiversity.

Joint Op-Ed by COP16 President and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Susana Muhamad and Kaveh Zahedi, Director of FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment.

Progress towards landmark COP15 pledges now depends on integrating agrifood systems into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.

The 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference, including the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), will be held in Cali, Colombia from 21 October to 1 November 2024.

Agrobiodiversity meets traditional knowledge to fight climate change in Colombia.

The 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) will open in a couple of days in Cali, Colombia and will be the first Conference of the Parties (COP) since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). In the lead up to COP16, the fifth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-5) started today, with the objective to review the preparation of national targets and the alignment of national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) with the KMGBF.