REDESCA at COP16: Progress and challenges in biodiversity protection with a human rights approach

November 6, 2024

Washington, D.C. – At the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Cali, Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, 2024, the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) renewed its call for regional States to integrate human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, into biodiversity-related decisions, implementation, and outcomes at both the regional and global levels.

During COP16, REDESCA participated as an observer in the sessions of the COP and the meetings of its subsidiary bodies. In addition to closely following negotiations, the delegation, led by the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (ESCER), Javier Palummo, met with civil society organizations and representatives of Indigenous peoples, who shared their experiences and voiced their demands. The delegation also took part in seven promotional activities addressing key topics, such as the protection of environmental defenders, climate justice, and the impact of extractive activities on the environment and biodiversity.

In collaboration with the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the Right to a Healthy Environment, Astrid Puentes, and on Climate Change and Human Rights, Elisa Morgera, REDESCA co-organized a consultation with civil society organizations, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, local communities, and academia to gather insights and perspectives on critical issues related to climate change, biodiversity, and human rights in their territories. During this consultation, the Special Rapporteur presented reflections on the adverse impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on human rights in the Americas, emphasizing the essential interdependence between human rights and environmental protection. REDESCA's Work Plan prioritizes sustainability and biodiversity conservation within the context of the climate crisis, aiming to develop standards and recommendations for implementing conservation policies that respect and protect human rights.

REDESCA welcomes the establishment of a subsidiary body under Article 8J, empowering Indigenous peoples and local communities to contribute directly to biodiversity decision-making through their traditional knowledge and practices. Equally noteworthy is the unprecedented recognition of the essential role of Afro-descendant communities in conserving nature. The Special Rapporteur also highlights the approval of the Cali Fund as a significant achievement—a multilateral mechanism aimed at ensuring a fair distribution of benefits derived from the use of genetic resources. REDESCA further welcomes the adoption of a decision on biodiversity and climate change, which could establish a framework to coordinate efforts in addressing these twin planetary crises. However, REDESCA notes with concern that critical decisions regarding monitoring and implementation frameworks, as well as financing mechanisms to secure the necessary resources for implementing the CBD and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, were not adopted.

In this context, the Special Rapporteur reiterates that human rights must be at the center of all actions to confront the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. To achieve sustainable and effective solutions, it is essential that States implement coherent and ambitious human rights-based measures that prioritize the inclusive and meaningful participation of all communities, especially Indigenous, local, and Afro-descendant populations, as well as environmental defenders. Additionally, a robust and equitable financing framework is required to ensure sufficient resources to implement these policies and achieve conservation goals with an inclusive and socially just approach.

The Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights is an office established by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to strengthen the promotion and protection of economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights across the Americas, leading the Commission's efforts in this area.

No. RD278/24

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