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Final plenary session of COP15. Some analysts say the adopted framework is a good compromise. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

By Stella Paul
Montreal, Dec 20 2022 (IPS)

In a landmark agreement, all parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) adopted the draft Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to protect at least 30% of the world’s lands and water by 2030.

Led by China and facilitated by the CBD, the parties of the convention adopted the draft very late on Sunday night, after 12 days of intense negotiations over 23 targets that, put together, make the framework for biodiversity protection until 2030.

The Old vs. New GBF

When COP15 negotiations began on December 7, the GBF had 22 targets. However, on December 19, the final day of the COP, there were 23 targets in the adopted document. There have not been any new additions, but Target 19 – focused on finance – has been divided into two targets: Target 19 and Target 20. Target 20, therefore, is now Target 21, Target 21 is Target 22, and Target 22 is now Target 23.

The adopted document looks leaner and shorter compared to the version presented before the parties on December 7. However, the new version – presented by China on Saturday and adopted later by all parties – has all the text considered crucial.

For example, on Target 3 – widely considered as the lifeline of the GBF and equivalent to the Climate Change COP’s goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees – the old text was long and somewhat vague, with too many details but no indication of action.

In Target 19.1, focusing on resource mobilization, the draft framework proposed to increase financial resources progressively and annually from all sources by reaching at least $200 billion by 2030.

The adopted framework has a more straightforward but detailed language: “Raise international financial flows from developed to developing countries … to at least US$ 20 billion per year by 2025, and at least US$ 30 billion per year by 2030.”

In Target 22, the draft version read: “Ensure women and girls equitable access and benefits from conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as their informed and effective participation at all levels of policy and decision making related to biodiversity.”

The adopted version of this target has a language that is richer and more action-oriented:  “Ensure gender equality in the implementation of the framework through a gender-responsive approach where all women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including by recognizing their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy, and decision-making related to biodiversity.”

The Big Decisions

In addition to the GBF, the parties at COP15 have approved a series of related agreements on the framework’s implementation, including planning, monitoring, reporting, and review; resource mobilization; helping nations to build their capacity to meet the obligations; and digital sequence information on genetic resources.

For example, Digital sequence information on genetic resources – a dominant topic at COP15 – has many commercial and non-commercial applications, including pharmaceutical product development, improved crop breeding, taxonomy, and monitoring invasive species.

Francis Ogwal and Basile Van Havre, co-chairs of the Global Biodiversity Framework, at a press meeting after the framework was adopted. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

COP15 delegates agreed to establish a multilateral fund for the equal sharing of benefits between providers and users of DSI within the GBF.

Another big decision was to create a specific fund for biodiversity within the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) – the nodal agency that receives, channelizes and distributes all funds for environmental protection in the world. Reacting to the decision, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson, called GBF a significant breakthrough and supported the creation of the fund.”

“Resource mobilization has been a central theme here in Montreal over the last two weeks, both to reach an ambitious agreement, and to ensure it is implemented. I am therefore honored and extremely pleased that the Conference of the Parties has requested the GEF to establish a Global Biodiversity Fund as soon as possible, to complement existing support and scale up financing to ensure the timely implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework,” Rodriguez said in a press statement.

A Good Compromise

Jennifer Corpuz of Indigenous People’s Forum for Biodiversity (IPFB), an umbrella of over 10 thousand indigenous organizations across the world, had been lobbying intensely to ensure mainstreaming of indigenous peoples’ rights in the GBF, called the adopted document, a “good compromise” and “a good start.”

According to Corpuz, the GBF – now known as “The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” contains strong language on all targets that concern indigenous peoples and local communities. The language is very strong, especially in the areas of spatial planning (Target 1), area-based conservation (Target 3), customary sustainable use (Targets 5 and 9), traditional knowledge (Goal C, Targets 13 and 21), and participation and respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to lands, territories, and resources (Target 22).

“The Framework should be celebrated as a historic step towards transforming how we approach biodiversity conservation. The text provides a strong basis for countries to walk hand in hand with Indigenous peoples in addressing the biodiversity crisis and in ensuring that the negative legacy of conservation on Indigenous peoples will be corrected,” Corpuz told IPS.

Basile Van Havre – the co-chair of the framework, appeared to agree with Corpuz. Answering a question on the implications and meaning of various terms such as “equitable governance” in the GBF, Havre told IPS, “it would help local governments to create a mechanism for working together with different sections of the populations, especially the Indigenous peoples.”

On the adoption of a gender target (Target 23) and the adoption of the Gender Action Plan, the CBD Women’s Caucus expressed their gratitude to various parties for their support. A group of women also broke out in a jubilant dance – an expression of their joy and relief after years of persuasion to include Gender as a stand-alone target in the GBF.

 

 

The next steps and challenges ahead

According to experts, the success of the GBF will heavily lie on two factors: 1) Adopting and operationalizing GBF indicators relevant to each target and 2) Creating a mechanism quickly for those decisions that involve a multilateral system.

For example, under the new GBF, finances for biodiversity will come from rich and developed nations and private investors. But the pathways and mechanisms for these are yet to be decided, and the sooner these are done, the better it will be for all parties to begin implementing the framework.

A lot will also depend on how quickly the countries can revise their current National Biodiversity Action Plans to make ways for implanting new decisions under the GBF, according to Francis Ogwal, CBD co-chair of the GBF.

Others have also cautioned that if countries are not able to make necessary policy changes, there is a risk that the GBF could fail.

“The agreement represents a major milestone for the conservation of our natural world, and biodiversity has never been so high on the political and business agenda, but it can be undermined by slow implementation and failure to mobilize the promised resources. Governments have chosen the right side of history in Montreal, but history will judge all of us if we don’t deliver on the promise made today,” warned Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International.

The agreement also obligates countries to monitor and report on a large set of “headlines” and other indicators related to progress against the GBF’s goals and targets every five years or less. Headline indicators include the percent of land and seas effectively conserved, the number of companies disclosing their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity, and many others.

The CBD will combine national information submitted by late February 2026 and late June 2029 into global trends and progress reports.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Written by Suzana Anghel and Ralf Drachenberg.

The last regular European Council meeting of 2022 ended with agreements on most open agenda points, notably the €18 billion of assistance to Ukraine and the ninth sanctions package. While the detailed decision on the cap for energy prices was left to the Energy Council to define, EU leaders specified in their conclusions that the proposal was to be finalised on 19 December 2022. In a long strategic discussion on EU-US relations, European Council members concurred that they want an active dialogue with the US on the latter’s Inflation Reduction Act. Regarding the economy, EU leaders invited the European Commission to put forward, by the end of January 2023, short-term measures to mobilise both EU and national investment resources to safeguard the EU’s economic base, as well as an EU strategy to boost competitiveness and productivity in the longer term. On security and defence, EU leaders focused on joint procurement, and insisted on the need to invest in defence capabilities to be able to conduct the full spectrum of EU missions and operations. As regards enlargement, the European Council endorsed the General Affairs Council conclusions on enlargement of 13 December 2022, and granted Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate country status.

1.     General aspects

The European Council, which lasted only one day, took place back-to-back with the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, at which a joint statement, affirming the strategic partnership and the shared interest in peace, security and stability, was adopted. The EU leaders’ meeting began with the customary address by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Her intervention was followed by a particularly long exchange of views involving many EU leaders, the substance of which was largely linked to the criminal proceedings involving the Parliament, among other issues. The EU Heads of State or Government expressed their support for the Parliament’s handling of the matter. President Metsola used the opportunity to announce a wide-ranging reform package to be ready early in 2023, underlining that she would personally lead the work.

This was the first European Council meeting for the new Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the last for the Irish Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, who subsequently handed over the office to Leo Varadkar.

In the context of attempts by certain Member States to block important decisions until the last moment, EU leaders defended decision-making by consensus, arguing that, ultimately, only the outcome mattered. As for the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, he once again stressed the continuing unity of the European Council.

President Michel announced that due to the rising number of irregular migrants, EU leaders would hold an in-depth debate on migration at a special European Council meeting on 9‑10 February 2023.

2. European Council meeting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

EU leaders reaffirmed their ‘resolute condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine’, reiterated the EU’s ‘full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity’ and called on Russia to cease its attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure, and to stop endangering ‘the safety and security of civilian nuclear facilities’ in Ukraine. They once again reiterated the EU’s political, financial, military and humanitarian support for Ukraine. President Michel underlined the Union’s unity on Ukraine, which was demonstrated by the decisions taken at the summit on macro-financial assistance and military aid as well as the ninth package of sanctions.

EU leaders notably agreed on the €18 billion package of assistance for Ukraine in 2023. Whilst Poland had initially threatened to block the decision, along with the minimum tax on multinational enterprises and Hungary’s recovery and resilience plan, the set of measures was adopted by written procedure in the interim. EU leaders also welcomed the G7 agreement to establish a donor coordination platform, which will help coordinate aid for repair, recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.

The European Council recalled the EU’s commitment to support Ukraine militarily though the European Peace Facility (EPF) and the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine). It endorsed the political agreement reached in the Council to increase the financial envelope of the EPF by €2 billion (2018 prices) and to allow for additional financial increases at a later stage. EU leaders also reaffirmed the importance of stepping up bilateral military support, including air-defence capacities and demining aid. The Prime Minister of Latvia, Krišjānis Karinš, stressed the importance of continuing to support Ukraine militarily, including with air defence systems, and warned against talks regarding a ‘premature peace or a truce’.

EU leaders also reaffirmed the need for support for internally and externally displaced persons, calling on the Member States ‘to intensify contingency planning, with the support of the Commission’. They also confirmed the Union’s commitment to ‘urgently intensify the provision of humanitarian and civil protection assistance to Ukraine’ as well as to support the rebuilding of damaged critical infrastructure. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, noted that, earlier in the week, Paris had hosted the international support conference for Ukraine at which €1 billion was pledged for heating stations, power generators and lighting equipment to help the Ukrainians cope with the winter.

EU leaders took stock of the options put forward by the European Commission, at their request, regarding the use of frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine’s reconstruction, and invited the EU institutions ‘to take work forward’. They discussed war crimes accountability, ‘including ways to secure accountability for the crime of aggression’. They agreed that sanctions and the international oil price cap play a key role in maintaining pressure on Russia to end its war. EU leaders also condemned the Iranian authorities’ support for Russia’s war of aggression, and welcomed the additional sanctions agreed in the Council. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, stressed the importance of ‘keeping the sanctions as strong as possible’ and tweeted that ‘the Ukrainian nation is heroically withstanding Russian aggression’.

Moreover, EU leaders reiterated their commitment to food security, stressing the importance of the solidarity lanes, the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative and the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ programme, and pointed out that access to affordable agricultural products and fertilisers remains key.

The European Council also considered the impact of the war on neighbouring countries, and notably the importance of supporting Moldova in coping with the energy security challenge.

Addressing the European Council once again, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stressed that Ukraine and all of Europe had become stronger in recent months; he underlined the importance of unity, thanked the EU for the ‘multifaceted assistance’ offered and underlined that Ukraine needs the EU’s support to overcome the destruction of its energy system. 

Main message of the President of the European Parliament: President Metsola stressed that the EU needs to stand with Ukraine and that sanctions need to be implemented. She emphasised that the European Parliament had awarded the Sakharov Prize to the people of Ukraine.

Energy and economy

As stressed by President Michel, ‘our new energy horizon has had spill-over effects on our economy … our future growth perspectives depend on our industries’ ability to remain competitive’. The intertwined energy and economy topics were therefore at the core of discussions.

After reviewing progress made in implementing the October 2022 conclusions, the European Council reaffirmed the importance of phasing out dependency on Russian fossil fuels, whilst promoting innovation, as well as investing in renewables. It notably called for the review of the Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directives to be finalised. EU leaders also underlined the need to accelerate preparations for the 2023‑2024 winter, calling for the ‘speedy operationalisation’ of the EU energy platform for joint gas and hydrogen purchasing, for consumption reduction and for gas storage facilities to be filled efficiently. As regards the cap on the price of gas, the search for an agreement was delegated to the Energy Council, which it was expected to reach at its meeting on 19 December 2022. Both the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, expressed ‘confidence’ in the Council on this matter.

EU leaders agreed that the ongoing energy crisis endangers the EU’s economic, industrial and technological base, requiring an ‘ambitious European industrial policy to make Europe’s economy fit for the green and digital transitions and reduce strategic dependencies’. They underlined that – if the single market is to be preserved – economic resilience and global competitiveness could only be achieved through coordinated European action. The European Council invited the European Commission to make, by January 2023, short-term proposals allowing mobilisation of European and national level resources to promote investment, and to present a (long-term) EU strategy to boost competitiveness and productivity.

The EU’s economy and its industrial base will be central topics on the agenda of the next European Council meeting, of 9‑10 February 2022. The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, called the European Green Deal the EU’s ‘most existential priority’, recalling the progress made in this area under the current Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. She stressed that she looked forward to cooperating with the incoming Swedish Presidency on competitiveness.

Main message of the President of the European Parliament: President Metsola stressed that ‘growth will also come from reforming our energy market’, underlined the importance of diversifying sources of energy, and confirmed the Parliament’s readiness to help ‘build our energy resilience together’.

Security and defence

As announced by President Michel, EU leaders took stock of progress made in implementing the security and defence commitments undertaken in Versailles. They confirmed their lasting consensus on defence cooperation and insisted on the need to increase the Union’s capacity to act autonomously. The European Council reaffirmed the importance of the ‘transatlantic bond’, which is reflected in EU and NATO strategic documents. 

As expected, EU leaders focused on joint procurement, calling on the co-legislators ‘to swiftly adopt the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA)’, and on the European Commission ‘to rapidly present a proposal for a European Defence Investment Programme’ – much needed to help strengthen the European defence industrial sector. They also underlined that arms stocks, which are currently diminishing as a result of military aid provided to Ukraine, need to be replenished, and invited the European Commission and the European Defence Agency ‘to identify needs and to facilitate and coordinate joint procurement’. Moreover, EU leaders reiterated their commitment to jointly invest in defence capabilities to be able to conduct the full spectrum of EU missions and operations. They also called for investment in strategic enablers, to promote a strong cyber-defence policy, to swiftly implement the EU Hybrid Toolbox, and to adopt a new Civilian CSDP Compact in 2023. Finally, the European Council recalled the global footing of the EPF and welcomed the political agreement reached in the Council on its financing.

External relations Southern Neighbourhood

The European Council discussed the Southern Neighbourhood but, contrary to December 2021, when the subject was last on the agenda, no conclusions were adopted this time. President Macron stressed the importance of joint action in and with the Southern Neighbourhood.

Transatlantic relations

EU leaders ‘held a strategic discussion on transatlantic relations’ without adopting conclusions. President Michel underlined the centrality of the transatlantic relationship, recalling the unfailing cooperation on Ukraine. President von der Leyen stressed that the US decision to invest in clean tech was positive, but underlined that the EU needed to maintain its ‘global leadership in the clean tech sectors’. She presented a plan allowing a response to the US Inflation Reduction Act.

Main message of the President of the European Parliament: President Metsola highlighted the protectionist aspect of the US Inflation Reduction Act, and stressed that climate change should be fought jointly, ‘not at the expense of each other’s industrial base’.

Iran

For the second time in a row, the European Council focused on Iran, calling on the regime to annul the ‘death penalty sentences pronounced and carried out in the context of the ongoing protests in Iran’, expressing opposition to such practices and noting the Council’s recent conclusions on Iran.

Other items Schengen

The European Council welcomed Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area as of 1 January 2023. President Michel reported on the political debate between EU leaders on Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area, and expressed optimism that a decision on that matter could be taken in the course of 2023. In that context, President Metsola spoke of a ‘broken promise’ and stressed there was ‘no justifiable reason’ to refuse admission to the Schengen area for Bulgaria and Romania.

Read this briefing on ‘Outcome of the European Council meeting of 15 December 2022‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

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