COP16 was the sixteenth conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held in Cali, Colombia between 21st October 2024 and 1st November 2024.

Summits for the CBD are less frequent than for the equivalent climate change treaty, the UNFCCC, though no less important in securing positive environmental and social outcomes.

The summit should have been a crucial opportunity to move forward global action on biodiversity loss following the pivotal agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15.

Following the agreement of the Framework in 2022, a key focus for COP16 was implementing the Framework through finance and national plans. This was especially pertinent given the failure to meet the previous biodiversity targets set in Aichi.

Ultimately, it was not possible to reach a final agreement at COP16, leaving the future of the Framework’s delivery uncertain, both internationally and on the national level.

This briefing sets out the details of what was agreed at COP16, the implications of the summit for environmental science, and how COP16 fits into the wider context of biodiversity on an international and national level.