The 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) was held in Montreal, Canada, 7-19 December. Governments from around the world came together to work towards an agreement on a new set of goals to guide global action through 2030 to halt and reverse nature loss. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during COP 15 following a four-year consultation and negotiation process.
ACB research and advocacy officer Sabrina Masinjila attended the conference and participated in several related events and interviews that were shared online.
In the following press conference, organised by the Convention on Biological Diversity Alliance (CBDA) at COP 15, Masinjila represented one of four African civil society organisations talking about the risks of biotechnology for agricultural biodiversity and the need for a precautionary approach:
Experts in food systems and biodiversity were asked what they hope to see come out of COP 15. Masinjila shared ACB’s perspective on what is holding back action when it comes to recognising the connection between food systems and biodiversity loss:
In the following interview, Masinjila spoke to ETC Group about some key targets in the GBF negotiated at COP 15. She explained the importance of agroecology and agricultural diversity in Target 10 of the GBF and why these are so important for biodiversity in the future:
Masinjila joined CBDA members in a post-COP 15 webinar to provide an update and critical analysis of the GBF and related decisions adopted at the conference. Her presentation uncovered the false solutions of agriculture and synbio techno-fixes as well as a way forward:
ACB’s executive director Mariam Mayet also followed the COP 15 conference online. In a blog, Masinjila and Mayet shared their reflections on the proceedings on biosafety and new technologies: Global Biodiversity Framework and synthetic biology: Missed opportunity for biosafety and biodiversity protection for Africa.