COP15 on biodiversity | A standoff between the North and the South is taking shape

A veritable standoff pits developing countries against the richest nations two days before the end of COP15 in Montreal. A blockage that could jeopardize several of the objectives of the next global framework for biodiversity.

“It is time for once that it is you who listen to us”, launched the representative of Nigeria in plenary session on Saturday morning.

“It is the developed countries that must assume their role in terms of financing,” he added, adding that Africa was feeling the effects of biodiversity loss hard.

In front of a full house on Saturday morning, the president of the 15^e United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), the Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, Huang Runqiu, heard the many grievances of the countries of the South.

And as at COP27 on climate, in Egypt, international financing for developing countries is also at the heart of the negotiations at COP15 on biodiversity.

“We have the feeling that it is not possible to leave Montreal without a fund for biodiversity”, moreover specified the German Jochen Flasbarth in his report to the presidency on the work of the committee for the mobilization of resources. financial.

“We do not have the impression of not being listened to, rather that there is no will from the polluting countries”, replied Ève Bazaiba Masudi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Development. sustainable development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a question of The Press.

“We have an agreement, nevertheless believes Eddy Perez, director of climate diplomacy at the Climate Action Network. But the quality of deal will depend on ambition on funding. »

However, Chile, Senegal, Costa Rica, Argentina, India, Bolivia, Indonesia and several other nations have all called for the same thing: investments to match the ambitions for a new global framework for the biodiversity.

For his part, the representative of the European Union specified that there would be no agreement “without a numerical quantitative target”. “It’s time to make a decision and time is running out,” he said.

A few minutes later, the representative of Indonesia nevertheless affirmed that his country opposed “all the quantitative elements in terms of harmful subsidies [à la biodiversité] “.

For its part, India does not want quantified targets for the reduction of pesticides. “For developing countries, agriculture is a key driver for rural communities,” said his representative.

Good news, however: the flagship objective of COP15 seems to be the subject of a consensus between the 196 signatory countries of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Target 3, which calls for the protection of 30% of land and oceans by 2030, should in principle be adopted.

“Ambition on all fronts”

“We can’t leave this town without a funding agreement. It has to be clear”, said the representative of Chile, in a firm tone.

“We cannot continue this perverse game of advancing without ambition [sur le financement]. It takes ambition on all fronts,” she added.

Bolivia, for its part, pointed out that the current financial means were not sufficient. “We must fulfill our obligations and this will not be possible without tangible funding. We have only one option today and that is to find a compromise on funding for the global biodiversity framework,” noted his representative.

According to Nigeria, between 300 and 800 billion dollars per year would be needed globally.

For Switzerland, “some of the figures mentioned are not realistic [en matière de financement] “. “Implementing the framework will require additional resources, and that’s really the challenge. But we can’t move forward if it’s not realistic, ”said his representative.

“I have the conviction that the money is coming”, nevertheless specifies Eddy Perez.

The expert points out that a new draft text will be made public this Sunday morning by the presidency. This should form the basis of the sprint of final negotiations over the next few days.

“We are still facing immense tasks,” recalled the President of COP15 on Saturday morning. The adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework must absolutely be adopted “in the coming days”, he insisted.

“It is our responsibility, and it will take effort, dear friends,” said Huang Runqiu.

The Norwegian representative issued a warning to delegates on Saturday. “Remember that the whole world is watching us, and young people too, and we will hold you accountable for the results. »