PRRI members participating in the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024

Members of PRRI participated from 21 October through 1 November 2024 as observers in the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024, in Cali, Colombia.

The UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 comprises:

• the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP16),
• the Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB-MOP11), and
• the  Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP5).

The UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 serves as a key forum for global negotiations on biodiversity, biosafety, and equitable genetic resource sharing, aimed at advancing the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), its protocols, and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Public research organisations such as PRRI play a indispensable role in these discussions by advocating for science-based policies, enhancing collaboration, and supporting innovation.

The main aim of participation of PRRI members in COPs and MOPs is to stay abreast – and keep interested PRRI members informed – of the developments in international negotiations, and to bring a voice to the table that emphasizes science, innovation, and evidence-based solutions to the objectives of the CBD and its protocols. To this end, PRRI members engaged with many delegates from Parties and other observers delegations.

In the preparation for and participation UN Biodiversity Conferences PRRI closely collaborates with other member organisations of the Biodiversity Innovation Coalition.

PRRI delegates focused on building strong collaborative relationships, and also participated actively in the Academia and Research caucus, in which COOPMOP2024 delegates registered under ‘Academia and Research’ collaborate (A&R contacts: Audrey Wagner (audrey.wagner @ biology.ox.ac.uk) and Hannah Nicholas (hannah.nicholas @ biology.ox.ac.uk).

PRRI members contributed to the opening and closing statements of the A&R group:

• COPMOP 2024 – Academia and Research Organizations – UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 – Opening Statement
• COPMOP 2024 – Academia and Research Organizations – UN Biodiversity Conference 2024 – Closing Statement

On 26 October 2024, PRRI members also participated in an A&R ‘Flash Talk’ side event (Links to presentations below).

Here are the key outcomes of the UN Biodiversity Conference 2024.

Flash Talks delivered at the A&R side event:

• Opening remarks by Dr. David Obura, IPBES Chair.
• Reconstructing Past Climate and Tree Migrations: A Model-Based Analysis of Biodiversity Shifts in European Forests and Implications for CBD Objectives in Latin America. Minxue Tang Imperial College London (UK).
• How spatio-temporal climate change shapes global biodiversity patterns. Dr. Jiaze Li, Imperial College London (UK).
• Genetic Diversity and implementation of the KM GBF – including monitoring and reporting using indicators including Headline Indicator A.4. Dr Roberta Gargiulo, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (UK), on behalf of the Coalition for Conservation Genetics.
• How to implement Indigenous digital sovereignty in AI for biodiversity monitoring. Magali de Bruyn. The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science and Environment at UC Berkeley (USA)
• From Research to Action: How Science in Wildlife Reintroduction Advances CBD Objectives and the Kunming-Montreal Targets. Dr. Friederike Pohlin, Vetmeduni Vienna (Austria).
• University networks to support implementation of the KMGBF. Hannah Nicholas, University of Oxford, CASCADE. (UK)
• What does open access to DSI mean for researchers? Future-proofing the DSI multilateral mechanism: possible implications of artificial intelligence & other upcoming technologies., Davide Faggionato Leibniz Institute DSMZ (Germany).
• Decolonizing International Biodiversity Law: Digital sequence information as a revealer. Adriana Moreno Cely, Liege University (Belgium).
• Livestock for Nature & Biodiversity Action: A new narrative for livestock and biodiversity. Dr. Christian Tiambo, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (Kenya).
• The potential and challenges for modern biotechnology to contribute to the objectives of the CBD, case Forest Biotechnology. Prof. Kazuo Watanabe (Univ of Tsukuba/PRRI)
• Synbio for the Margins: Tools to Empower the Unreached, Justin Ivar, Toronto University
• Synthetic biology to detect mercury in waters contaminated by illegal gold mining in the Bolivian Amazonian region. Dana Valdez (Youth Biotech/iGEM-Bolivia