Mr. President, 

I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. 

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

We meet today in the wake of the successful closure of CBD COP16 in Rome, and two years after the adoption of a historic deal for nature: the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF embraces the vision of a world living in harmony with nature and was a true breakthrough for nature conservation, restoration and its sustainable use. It complements the Paris Agreement and both must be implemented with the same level of political urgency. Jointly, they form a global roadmap towards a true reconciliation with nature. 

The EU and its Member States welcome the outcomes of CBD COP16, including the establishment of a subsidiary body on Article 8j and to enhance the engagement and participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in all CBD processes. As custodians of vast biodiversity-rich areas, they have a vital role in the protection and sustainably use of biodiversity, including through their traditional knowledge and practices.

Next year, at CBD COP17 in Armenia, we will have the Global Review of Collective Progress in Implementation. This exercise should help all of us to identify strategies to strengthen implementation in view of meeting the 2030 targets and ensure that we are well under way towards the 2050 Goals.

Mr. President,

The EU and its MS remain the main provider of international biodiversity funding. The EU is implementing its commitment to double its international biodiversity financing to reach 7 billion euros of investments worldwide until 2027, and EU Member States have made similar and significant pledges. The GBF will require stepping-up efforts even further and we urge all parties who are able to contribute to do the same. 

The EU continues to implement the GBF both internally and in our external action, through the European Green Deal. Our new Nature Restoration Law and our Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, together with our nature legislation and other initiatives, will contribute significantly to nature protection and restoration efforts. 

Mr. President,

In response to the questions set out for the panel discussion, we would like to add the following.

The EU and its Member States strongly support efforts for more discussions on biodiversity, within the General Assembly and ECOSOC, to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the GBF. In this regard, we wish to recall that many UN processes already allow for discussions on biodiversity in the framework of the 2030 Agenda. We also believe that the United Nations Environment Assembly should remain the UN’s universal decision-making body on the environment.

We also wish to emphasise the importance of science-based policy-making and action. We strongly support the valuable work of the IPCC and the IPBES, including the most recent Nexus Assessment and Transformative Change reports of the latter. We also look forward to the establishment of a science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste and prevention of pollution.

We also wish to stress the importance of stakeholder involvement in decision-making processes, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We need strong and vocal civil society organisations and NGOs: all voices must be heard and not only the voices of those stakeholders that have the largest financial capacity. In this regard, we are concerned by the increasing number of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) that seek to silence critical voices. Finally, we stress the important responsibilities of businesses to inform consumers of the true environmental costs of their products and services.

I thank you.