Malaysia strengthens biodiversity conservation cooperation at COP16

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s participation in the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) currently held in Cali, Colombia, will strengthen cooperation on biodiversity conservation, particularly in capacity building, technology transfer and funding.

Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad who is leading a 17-member Malaysian delegation to the conference which runs from Oct 21 to Nov 1, will highlight the country’s commitment to integrating the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

This initiative is carried out through the National Policy on Biological Diversity 2022-2030, which was launched on Oct 24, 2023.

“Malaysia is among the leading party states in implementing the CBD, which enhances our international reputation, as 80 per cent of the party states have yet to do so,” said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability in a statement.

According to the statement, Malaysia ratified the CBD on June 24, 1994, affirming its commitment to conserving and sustainably using biodiversity, as well as ensuring that the benefits derived from biodiversity are shared equitably.

The CBD COP16 conference is held concurrently with related protocols, namely The 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the 5th MOP to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of the Benefits Arising from their Utilisation.

The conference, held biennially, is attended by 196 party states, to ensure the implementation of the CBD obligations and set directions for biodiversity management to be followed by the party states.

During the conference, Nik Nazmi and the delegation will also participate in the High-Level Segment Ministerial Meeting, hold bilateral discussions, engage in technical working visits focused on biodiversity conservation, and attend various side events.