Bogota, February 22, 2024. Under the leadership of the Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, the COP16 was launched with the installation of the first Steering Committee. During the meeting, the strategic plan for the fulfillment and organization of this international event, which is expected to have the participation of delegations from nearly 200 countries, was presented.
Also participating in the Committee were the Chancellor in charge, Luis Gilberto Murillo, the head of the office of the Ministry of Commerce, Mateo Buchelli, the Governor of Valle del Cauca, Dilian Francisca Toro, and the Mayor of Cali, Alejandro Éder, who established the starting point of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, inaugurated the first COP16 Steering Committee to coordinate logistical, financial and coordination aspects of the event.
“We have already made budgetary agreements with the National Government to move forward in the organization of the event. Next week a commission from the Chancellery and the logistics team will meet with the Governor's Office and the Mayor's Office of Cali to know the detailed costs. The resources to finance the event are guaranteed and it was agreed that the host city will finance the costs of the event site and the transportation of delegates,” Susana Muhamad, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development said.
As a first point, the formation of work teams was approved, which will be formed by the Ministries of Environment, Commerce and Finance, as well as officials from the Mayor's Office of Cali and the Governor's Office of Valle del Cauca. These subcommittees are: Administrative-Financial, Technical-Scientific, Mobilization and Communications, and Security.
“We are prepared to make the best COP. This will unite us as citizens, as Vallecaucanos, as the Pacific, and as Colombians. Thank you Minister for bringing the COP16 to Colombia, also to President Petro who trusted Valle del Cauca and the Pacific to make the best event. But we are also committed to carry out concrete actions to commit ourselves to biodiversity” said Dilian Francisca Toro, Governor of Valle del Cauca.
The meeting addressed key issues such as Colombia's commitments as host country, technical aspects, financing of the event, structure of the work teams and reception of the delegations.
Meanwhile,the mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, highlighted: “it is a historic milestone that marks Colombia's entry into the global debate on one of the most important issues of humanity. Therefore, Minister, congratulations to you, to your team, to the National Government, thank you very much for bringing this to our country, but especially to Cali. For the first time in Colombia, our region, the Colombian Pacific, will be in the eyes of the planet for a positive reason, our commitment is to work very hard to make it a success”.
COP16 environmental objectives
The Minister recalled the agreements reached at COP15, particularly the Kunming-Montreal agreement, which establishes 23 specific global biodiversity targets, where each country must develop its action plan to meet these objectives between each conference.
Muhamad stressed that it will be “the COP of the people”, and that it is an unprecedented opportunity to unite as a country. In this sense, he informed that next week he will launch the logo of the event, which will be accompanied by the slogan “Peace with nature”. This approach reflects Colombia's position to address the environmental crisis and encourage citizen participation in decision making.
What's next?
The second COP16 steering committee, scheduled for the first week of March, will play a key role in making crucial decisions to monitor the progress of the process. The minister stressed the need to ensure that deadlines are met and to coordinate activities to achieve the established objectives.
COP16 represents a crucial opportunity to address global environmental challenges and work towards a sustainable future. The minister reaffirmed Colombia's commitment to lead significant actions at the most important international event on biodiversity.
COP16 Management
Paula Douat was introduced as the COP16 manager. She will be responsible for managing the organization and logistics of the event. Douat has extensive international experience in strategic management and execution of large-scale projects in international events. In addition, she is an expert in leading multidisciplinary teams and in establishing effective relationships with government entities, international organizations, and strategic allies in the public and private sectors.
She has had experience in the management, planning, implementation and execution of the Universal Expos: Expo Shanghai 2012, Expo Milan 2015 and Expo Dubai 2020, among others, of international character.