Razan Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, leveraged her dual roles to champion effective nature-based solutions at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP16 in Colombia, held in Cali.
"We must sharpen our focus on the indispensable role of nature in maintaining biodiversity and propelling global resilience and economic stability. By uniting our efforts globally, we can fully leverage nature's capacity to not only protect biodiversity but also bolster resilience, curb emissions, and foster socio-economic progress. This conference serves as a crucial platform to showcase that nature-based strategies are essential for a sustainable future. Together, we are setting a definitive course that enhances synergies and maximises the benefits across our environmental and human development agendas.”
Drawing approximately 14,000 delegates, this conference marks the first gathering since the landmark COP15 Canada in 2022, where the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was first adopted, setting ambitious targets to halt and reverse nature loss and protect 30% of terrestrial and marine territories.
Ms. Al Mubarak’s COP16 agenda bridged biodiversity conservation with broader environmental and climate objectives, promoting the critical importance of nature in climate strategy, emphasizing the need for synergies between the United Nations Rio conventions on biological diversity, climate change, and desertification, and stronger global cooperation.
Championing the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and women in these processes, Ms. Al Mubarak also recognized their essential contributions to crafting effective solutions, advocating for restructuring financial flows to support, rather than exploit, nature—solutions aimed at enhancing resilience and adaptation in the Global South.
On Sunday, 27 October, Ms. Al Mubarak delivered the opening remarks at the High-Level Opening Session of Ocean Day, emphasizing that both the Global Biodiversity Framework and the UAE Consensus reached at COP28 regard the ocean as central to achieving global biodiversity and climate goals:
"There is no Paris Agreement without nature, and our ocean is at the heart of both.”
Via a keynote at the session on "Nature-based Solutions in Africa: Unlocking the Potential of Nature Finance," Ms. Al Mubarak called for increased investments in nature to bolster economic and environmental resilience across Africa, and at the "Gender Equality for Climate and Conservation Solutions" event, she emphasized the importance of inclusive strategies, stating:
"Empowering women and involving Indigenous Peoples are not just matters of equity; they are critical for crafting effective and sustainable solutions globally."
Ms. Al Mubarak also showcased key initiatives by the High-Level Champions for Climate Action, including the Ocean Breakthroughs supported by the Marrakech Partnership under the UNFCCC, and announced additional funding for the Coral Reef Breakthrough aimed at securing the future of at least 125,000 km² of shallow-water tropical coral reefs with investments exceeding US$12 billion.
Lastly, Ms. Al Mubarak participated in the “Synergies between Biodiversity and Climate Change: from Science to Action” high-level ministerial dialogue, which aims to identify challenges in implementing science-based actions that benefit both biodiversity and climate:
“The challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change are intertwined. As the planet warms, more species and ecosystems are pushed to the brink of extinction. At the same time, protecting and restoring key ecosystems helps reduce greenhouse gas concentrations.”
These discussions reaffirm the importance of strengthening collaboration across the agendas of the three Rio conventions: the Biodiversity Convention, the UNFCCC, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.