Human rights and biodiversity: Key UN biodiversity summit opens in Colombia

The UN biodiversity summit, formally COP16 or the 16th Conference of Parties to the UN Biodiversity Convention, officially opened in Colombia on Monday. Hopes are high that negotiating countries can arrive at a safe and effective path to protect Earth.

Considered the most important gathering globally to conserve biodiversity, the Summit is taking place in Cali and is expected to host some 15,000 attendees, including several heads of state, 103 ministers and more than 1,000 international journalists.

COP16 takes as its roadmap the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Frameork (GBF), a landmark plan adopted at COP15 in Canada to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030. COP16 seeks to promote international cooperation and bolster environmental policies.

Biodiversity loss can harm broad range of human rights

Human rights and biodiversity share a deep relationship. The fulfillment of several human rights depends on thriving biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. These rights include the rights to food, clean air, health, culture, and even the right to life.

Biodiversity loss is likely to disproportionately harm the human rights of indigenous peoples across the globe, local communities, female population, children and youth, the poorer sections of the society, and those in vulnerable situations.

It is the responsibility of States, businesses and international organisations to address biodiversity and habitat loss, prevent its negative consequences for human rights, and ensure that actions to prevent biodiversity loss are non-discriminatory and sustainable.