Fatshimetrie: The voice of indigenous peoples and civil society at COP16 on biodiversity
Fatshimetrie was a privileged witness to the momentum of mobilization of civil society in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the run-up to COP16 on biodiversity, which will be held in Cali, Colombia from October 21 to November 1, 2024. During a meeting in Kinshasa, the concerted position of the actors of the Concertation of Civil Society Organizations and Indigenous Peoples on Biodiversity (COSPAB) was at the heart of the debates.
Jonas Itongwa Mukumo, Executive Director of the National Alliance for the Support and Promotion of Indigenous and Community Heritage Areas and Territories in the DRC (Anapac), stressed the importance of preparing a unified position in order to best represent the challenges of Congolese biodiversity. He recalled that the biodiversity of the DRC is a natural treasure of inestimable value, both ecologically and socio-economically.
COP16 represents a crucial opportunity to advance discussions on the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and to highlight the challenges related to financing and genetic resources. Civil society actors stressed the need to take into account the rights of indigenous peoples, to protect their territories and to guarantee their active participation in decisions relating to biodiversity conservation.
The issue of financing was particularly highlighted, as local communities and indigenous peoples are the custodians of biodiversity and require appropriate financial support to carry out their preservation actions. It was proposed to integrate the rights of indigenous peoples, their territories and protected areas into financing mechanisms, in order to ensure effective and sustainable biodiversity conservation.
The COP16 preparatory meeting identified several expected outcomes, including assessing progress on biodiversity financing, sharing good practices and successful initiatives, and developing a common position on financing mechanisms. More than 110 participants contributed to these discussions, demonstrating the strong commitment of Congolese civil society to protecting biodiversity.
COP16 represents an important step in implementing the commitments made in the historic Kunming-Montreal agreement in 2022. Participating governments will have to assess their progress against the targets set, demonstrating their commitment to preserving biodiversity on a global scale.
Fatshimetrie will continue to closely monitor the progress of COP16 and highlight the actions of civil society actors and indigenous peoples in favor of biodiversityThis conference represents a unique opportunity to place biodiversity issues at the heart of political concerns and to make heard the voices of local communities who work daily to preserve our common natural heritage.