Teresa Ribera participates in COP15 on Biodiversity as European negotiator of the global biodiversity framework

Teresa Ribera will participate in the meeting as the European negotiator of the Global Biodiversity Framework Package, an agenda to develop a society in harmony with nature by 2050.

Regarding this, the Vice-President stated that "halting and reversing loss and achieving a nature-positive world by 2030 is the key mission that should guide our goals and targets for the global framework: halting the loss of ecosystems of high biodiversity value and increasing the area of natural ecosystems. Spain is among the delegations advocating a high level of ambition for this global biodiversity framework.

The adoption of the new global framework is one of the main outcomes expected from COP15. This outline of measures will update the Aichi Protocol with ambitious targets for 2030 to facilitate achieving the European vision of "Living in Harmony with Nature" by mid-century.

In the negotiations, Spain, together with its European partners, advocates the adoption of an ambitious package, with renewed and concrete objectives and targets that respond to the alarming crisis of biodiversity loss and degradation, and that guarantees the strengthening of mechanisms for its effective implementation, as well as for the full integration of biodiversity in sectoral decisions and policies.

Among other issues, Spain advocates ambitious objectives in aspects such as: protection of 30% of land and marine areas and their effective management; ecological connectivity; ecological restoration of ecosystems; marine and coastal biodiversity; reinforcement of synergies between biodiversity and climate change; protection and conservation of pollinators; the fight against invasive alien species; and the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking, among others.

A key meeting to halt biodiversity loss

COP15 is a key event of enormous importance, where the global agreement on objectives and actions that promote the necessary change to reverse the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems and, ultimately, to ensure current and future health, the economy and well-being of the whole world is at stake.

This meeting, whose opening and first part took place in October 2021, takes place from 7-19 December 2022 under Chinese chairmanship, and also serves as the 10th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP 10) and the 4th Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (COP/MOP 4).

The COP, in the context of this framework, is considering amongst other things the inclusion of targets relating to issues such as: increased protection of land and marine areas, connectivity and restoration of ecosystems, recovery and conservation of species, combating invasive alien species, pollution reduction, contribution of biodiversity to climate change adaptation and mitigation, fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, the integration of

biodiversity values in policies and sectors and the availability of the necessary means of implementation, including the mobilisation of financial resources, for the fulfilment of the overall framework and objectives of the Convention.

Other key decisions are also being negotiated at the COP, for example on the mobilisation of financial resources, as well as horizontal issues relevant to the implementation of the Convention and the future framework.

Another crucial issue for discussion at the COP concerns the sharing of benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information derived from genetic resources (DSI), a key issue for many delegations, especially from developing countries, which make the adoption of an ambitious global framework at the COP conditional on the adoption of a satisfactory solution to their expectations in terms of DSI and international funding for biodiversity.

Active Spanish participation

At the meeting of the Council of Environment Ministers in October this year, the Council conclusions document was adopted, which represents the political orientation of the negotiating position of the European Union and its Member States in the run-up to COP15.

Spain participated proactively in the preparatory discussions for these Council conclusions, defending and promoting a high level of ambition, including, in particular, on issues such as: the need to include in the future global framework ambitious quantitative targets on issues such as the risk and reduction of use of plant protection products, the promotion of agricultural practices consistent with biodiversity or the prevention and eradication of invasive alien species; the maintenance of nature-based solutions; or the inclusion of considerations regarding the fundamental importance of including specific targets to ensure the sectoral integration of biodiversity in all sectors and sectoral policies.

Non official translation