COP16 Takeaways: A Major Victory for Indigenous Peoples, Yet Many Questions Remain

Indigenous Peoples secured a significant win regarding the importance of traditional knowledge in protecting biodiversity. However, COP16 failed to define crucial topics like mobilizing biodiversity funding.

The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Cali, Colombia, ended with a major victory secured by Indigenous Peoples: the creation of a permanent subsidiary body under Article 8(j) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

Under Article 8(j), Parties must respect, preserve, and maintain knowledge, innovations, and practices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

With the Subsidiary Body, Indigenous Peoples from all seven socio-cultural regions of the world will have capacity to provide guidance to the Parties, along with their own governance structures with established funds. Traditional Knowledge will be given priority in the implementation of the entire framework. The next steps for the Subsidiary Body involve making decisions regarding its specific operational mode.

This major victory was achieved thanks to the tireless work and pressure of the Indigenous representatives present at COP16, represented by the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB). At the end of the conference, after tense negotiations, they finally managed to convince all parties to approve the proposal of creating the subsidiary body, with the hope that this mechanism would integrate IPs in the decision-making about the implementation of article 8j.

“This is important because we need a high-level platform where Indigenous Peoples are able to present perspectives and for there to be a dialogue between Indigenous Peoples and local communities and parties and other supporters and non-state actors,” said Jennifer ‘Jing’ Corpuz (Kankana-ey Igorot, Philippines), one of the key negotiators for IIFB alongside other IIFB leaders. Jing is also Nia Tero's Managing Director of Policy.

Indigenous Peoples protect and sustain approximately 40% of our planet's intact ecosystems and landscapes. Their knowledge systems and land stewardship are essential to achieve the goal of protecting 30% of Earth by 2030.

By establishing the subsidiary body, COP16 has taken a critical step in prioritizing Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and guardianship as essential to our planet’s health.

Read the IIFB’s updates here: 

• IIFB Press release: Indigenous Peoples and local communities celebrate the approval of the new Programme of Work and call for the adoption of the Subsidiary Body on Article 8j
• Historic decision at COP16 as Indigenous Peoples and local communities gain a permanent space in biodiversity policy

Digital Sequence Information and The Cali Fund

Another set of discussions much expected by Indigenous Peoples was the creation of the Digital Sequence Information (DSI) mechanism, which will define how to share benefits generated by genetic information derived from biodiversity.

Under the agreement, companies that utilize natural resources to develop products should contribute 1 percent of their profits or 0.1 percent of their revenue to a global fund called “The Cali Fund.”

Although the details of the fund are still under negotiation, its establishment represents a historic step toward acknowledging the significance of genetic information derived from territories and utilized by industries. Importantly, about half of the resources from the fund will be directed toward Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Disappointment about Financial Commitments to Protect Biodiversity

COP16 adjourned without achieving crucial decisions about biodiversity funding, postponing discussions on raising USD 200 billion by 2030 and creating a new fund under COP governance.

Developing countries criticized the current funding mechanisms, primarily through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), for their inefficiency, and pledges made at the conference fell short of the USD 20 billion annual target for 2025.

Moving forward, it will be essential to follow up on commitments and push for reforms in the international financial system to better support biodiversity protection.