Big news in the world of environmental conservation! 🌱 The UN has appointed Astrid Schomaker from Germany as the new Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
As the leader of the CBD Secretariat, Schomaker's mission is to turn the ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into real action. She’ll be focusing on four key goals:
Protecting and restoring nature
Prospering with nature
Sharing benefits fairly
Investing and collaborating
Looking ahead, the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP 16) is set to take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024, in Cali, Colombia. By then, countries are expected to submit updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans that align with the Biodiversity Plan.
One of the major challenges on the agenda is closing the biodiversity finance gap. The goal is to increase biodiversity-related international financial resources from developed countries to at least $20 billion per year by 2025. This funding is crucial to meet the Biodiversity Plan’s targets by 2030.
Until Schomaker steps into her new role, David Cooper will continue to serve as the acting executive secretary. The CBD, an international treaty launched in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, aims to conserve biodiversity with participation from 196 parties worldwide.
Stay tuned for more updates on how these changes will help safeguard our planet’s incredible biodiversity! 🌏✨
