The Diplomat
Spain, Colombia and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (Segib) have promoted the reactivation of the Ibero-American Network of Biodiversity Directors, within the framework of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that is being held these days in the Colombian city of Cali.
According to a note from Segib, the Network aims to promote, through cooperation and the exchange of experiences and information, joint action to stop the loss of biodiversity, one of the great challenges facing the planet.
At the reactivation meeting, the framework, purpose, objectives and initial work plan of the Network were presented, which includes training and capacity building actions, exchange of experiences and technical dialogues, as well as activities to promote international cooperation in the field of biodiversity. In addition, the founding document was signed by the directors of Biodiversity from twenty Ibero-American countries.
The Network joins other networks for coordination and cooperation in public policy in the area of environmental care and the fight against climate change that have been operating within the community of Ibero-American countries: the Conference of Ibero-American Water Directorates and Authorities (CODIA), the Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC) and the Conference of Ibero-American National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (CIMHET). It also follows the mandate of the Ibero-American Summit and has been promoted by the governments of Colombia and Spain and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), and has the support of the European Union through the Euroclima Program.
“Ibero-America is a world leader in biodiversity and with this alliance we want to mark milestones as has been done by the Meteorological Services Network, which has achieved the establishment of a lightning detection network in Central America or the Water Network, which is advancing in the generation of a common framework for water quality, and all through horizontal and supportive cooperation” said Jorge Andrés Osorio, Head of Environment at Segib.
The Network today has the challenge of implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and identifying and promoting synergies between the agendas of biological diversity, climate change and desertification, in order to contribute to the materialization of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other Conventions and Multilateral Agreements related to biodiversity and the other Rio Conventions”, said Adriana Rivera, Director of Forests, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia.
“At a crucial moment to guarantee the health of the planet, in which the sum of efforts, dialogue and exchange are essential to ensure the conservation of biodiversity, Spain is proud of the reactivation and of being part of the Ibero-American Network of Directors of Biodiversity together with the rest of the countries in the region. This impulse constitutes a new example of Spain’s commitment to the protection of biodiversity and to the improvement of Ibero-American cooperation,” said María Jesús Rodríguez de Sancho, General Director of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification of the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, at the event.
“The exchange of experiences, dialogue on challenges, successes and errors and international cooperation are fundamental to design and implement better and more effective public policies. Especially in the case of problems such as the loss of biodiversity that have a planetary dimension and complexity. That will be the main objective of the Network,” said Almudena Barrio, coordinator of the Euroclima Program at the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP).
