Statement by EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall on COP16.2 Outcomes

I welcome the positive outcome of the global biodiversity negotiations in Rome. An agreement has been reached on all outstanding issues, securing a global roadmap to support biodiversity financing beyond 2030. This proves that multilateralism works, despite geopolitical challenges. The ecological and economic need for cooperation remains clear.

Declining biodiversity is a pressing global issue, worsening climate change and harming livelihoods. Half of global GDP depends on nature. Global cooperation on biodiversity is essential for our economies, health, and environment.

All Parties agreed on a roadmap to mobilize resources and close the biodiversity financing gap. They also reached agreements on the monitoring framework and global review procedures for implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP17.

The newly launched Cali Fund enables companies benefiting from digital sequence information on genetic resources to share proceeds with biodiverse countries, with 50% allocated to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

These achievements show that, despite geopolitical divisions, the global community united to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, embracing compromise, openness, and flexibility.

It is crucial to build on this progress and maintain momentum in implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries worldwide are revising their national biodiversity strategies and setting targets, and this must continue.

The EU will keep working with global partners to find solutions and implement this historic agreement through 2030 and beyond.