Ottawa, Ontario – “COP16 is here, and Canada is ready. Our livelihoods, our communities, and our economies rely on being responsible with the natural world, which is telling us it is in trouble.
“Canada is immensely proud of the role we played in hosting COP15 in Montréal. Seeing the gavel come down in the late hours of the conference to pass the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework was an unforgettable moment for me. Together, we landed an agreement many said was not possible and planted the seed for a strong global action.
“COP16 is the first chance for countries to show their plans. The natural world simply won’t wait for us to get our act together. Our citizens and communities around the world expect us to deliver.
“For our part, Canada has moved fast and early. We are steadily making progress on the largest conservation campaign in our country’s history, backed by over $12 billion in investments and aiming toward protecting 30 percent of Canadian land and water by 2030. Our recent 2030 Nature Strategy, released ahead of COP16, charts our path to achieving our objectives.
#COP16 is here and Canada is ready.
Our natural world needs help and, working together, we can drive global action.
Let’s make this a breakthrough for many to live up to the historic deal we landed in Montreal at COP15.
My statement: https://t.co/PX4kfgTR5f https://t.co/4Bur19AAxD
— Steven Guilbeault (@s_guilbeault) October 21, 2024
“To hold this and any future government accountable to fulfill those goals, we introduced the Nature Accountability Bill that requires the Government to transparently report on their progress. To date, we have gone from one percent to 15 percent protected oceans. We have conserved almost half a million hectares of land, with many large-scale conservation projects in the works. We are upholding the Species at Risk Act to protect threatened species. We moved forward quickly with the hope that it would encourage other countries to announce ambitious biodiversity plans.
“Canada is coming to COP16 ready to galvanize leadership and action. Since COP15, we launched the Nature Champions Network, a ministerial-level group that focuses on fostering international awareness and understanding of the global biodiversity framework. We are leading members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People who played an instrumental role in landing the deal at COP15. Canada became the first contributor country to pledge $200 million for the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund launched in record time in 2023 to support developing countries in the implementation of their biodiversity plans to restore nature and grow resilient economies.
“Increasing global biodiversity momentum requires partnerships, especially with Indigenous peoples. That’s why Canada looks forward to working with Indigenous peoples toward historic COP16 outcomes with the creation of a United Nations permanent body under the Convention on Biological Diversity that further recognizes the role and contribution of Indigenous peoples in the implementation of global biodiversity goals.
“Now is our chance. Let’s make COP16 a breakthrough for many countries ready to deliver on the global biodiversity framework.”
SOURCE Government of Canada
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