Santiago de Cali, the largest city in Colombia’s Pacific region, will host this year’s United Nations COP16 Convention on Biological Diversity, one of the foremost gatherings on biodiversity in the world, according to Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
The summit will take place from October 21st through November 1st, 2024, and will serve as a formal meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change parties, also referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP).
It will be the first time Cali will host a COP event, with the nation of Colombia being one of the top five most biodiverse countries on the planet. The announcement comes on the heels of the country announcing that its deforestation levels have fallen by a historic 36%.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said, “As a powerhouse of natural biodiversity and human diversity, with a rich history, the Pacific region offers us the opportunity for Colombia to show why it is the country of beauty. This is also an opportunity to heal wounds, to seal a social pact, to put the eyes of the world on the Pacific, on its regions and conflicts. This is the time to protect life, to have peace with nature.”
Colombia’s Pacific region has more than 200 protected areas and 11 national parks that make up 51,388 square kilometers of biodiversity, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. This area houses more than 14,000 species of plants.
What’s more, the region is also home to some of Colombia’s most diverse cultures. In the area surrounding Cali, 30% of inhabitants identify as Afro-Colombian or Indigenous.
Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, released a statement saying, “We want this to be the COP of the people, of those who live and prosper in biodiversity, where peace with nature is promulgated, and it is one of the pillars of the climate crisis. The UN visited the country, was in both cities of Bogota and Cali and issued a statement recognizing that both cities met the requirements.”
“Taking this event to Cali will have the greatest transformative effect, to show the world biodiversity and bring an event to the four departments of the Pacific,” added the minister.
“Never before will we have so many heads of state, foreign ministers, environmental ministers, but also communities, because this is going to be the COP of the people, of the bases, but it is also going to be the COP that unites the country,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo said.
“This is a national event. We are no longer just sending the message to the world of what Colombia is proposing to the world, but the world is going to come here to make decisions. 200 delegations: it is historic.”
Circuit of forums on biodiversity is launched on the road to COP16
The ministry is also announcing that from August 14th to November 2nd there will be 14 forums held in which experts, academics, government officials and community leaders will address topics including biodiversity, culture and society, agriculture and more.
The forums will serve as a lead-up to the in-person conference in October in Cali.
The Biodiversity Connection Forums, aimed at all ages and audiences, were designed to inspire, educate and mobilize how individuals in society develop a deeper commitment to nature.
Participation in the forums is free and they’ll take place in six, in-person sessions as well as eight virtual sessions. Those interested in attending the forums can register here.
Participants will be able to obtain a certificate of attendance endorsed by a number of universities that make up the National Environmental Forum, an alliance for NGOs and universities active in Colombia.
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