STATEMENT

For the Global Biodiversity Negotiations to Succeed, the World Must Commit to 30x30, Including Our Own Nations 

A statement by the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee

As countries work to finalize a global strategy for nature through the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, we call on world leaders to support a target of protecting at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030, or “30x30”. 

The success of the global biodiversity agreement will hinge on whether this critical target is adopted.

The 30x30 target must protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and be accompanied by a dramatic increase in funding.

We stand together in applauding the leaders who have already committed to protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. We acknowledge the over 85 countries that have joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People to champion the 30x30 target. However, there remains work to be done, and we urge all leaders to join us in this moment of decisive action to safeguard our future.  

 The science clearly demonstrates the environmental, economic, public health and social benefits of investing in nature. We now know that protecting at least 30% of the planet is a necessary component of any strategy to effectively respond to the biodiversity crisis as well as the climate crisis. Economic studies also prove that this conservation will encourage economic growth and job creation. 

We commend the progress made in response to this overwhelming evidence over the last year, and call for the further expansion of political and financial support for 30x30, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clearly stated is pivotal to maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

  We acknowledge the unprecedented philanthropic commitment of $5 billion to support implementation of 30x30, including through Indigenous stewardship, announced during the UN General Assembly in New York. And we acknowledge the call to close the current biodiversity funding gap of US$700 billion through reduced harmful subsidies and increased global spending. In particular, we acknowledge the call for developed countries to provide at least US$60 billion annually in international finance for biodiversity, primarily in the form of grants to developing countries to appropriately reflect their responsibility.

 We acknowledge that nature and biodiversity featured more prominently than ever before at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, and that its inextricable link to climate change has been clearly highlighted in the IPCC’s most recent report. 

But we also acknowledge that we must do more. Now is the time to redouble our efforts. Every nation has a critical role to play as we approach the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Kunming, China. 

We call on all countries to commit to the 30x30 global target, understanding that each nation will have a unique spatial target based on their specific national biodiversity context.

We call on funders – public, private, and philanthropic – to dramatically increase financing that focuses on innovative, long-term funding mechanisms that include resources channeled directly to Indigenous People and Local Communities who know the land we seek to protect better than anyone.

We call on corporate leaders to put an end to empty promises and green screening agendas. But instead to work with governments in urgently and comprehensively moving beyond fossil fuels to complete decarbonization and to assess and remedy the damage supply chains and ways of working have on biodiversity.

Finally, we call on the youth to continue to demand meaningful change from your governments. 

Everyone has a role to play in protecting nature and our time is now. Let us rise to the occasion together and set a course that secures a better tomorrow for us all. 

Signed:

​​Russ Feingold, Former US Senator and former Special Envoy to Great Lakes Region of Africa

Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia 

Issoufou Mahamadou, Former President of Niger

Ernest Bai Koroma, Former President of Sierra Leone 

Ólafur Ragnar Grimsson, Former President of Iceland 

Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland 

Hailemariam Desalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia 

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Former Prime Minister of Uganda

Yongyuth Yuthavong, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand

Loren Legarda, Philippines Deputy Speaker

Graça Machel, Former Minister and First Lady of South Africa and Mozambique

Tzipi Livni, Former Foreign Minister of Israel

Susana Malcorra, Former Foreign Minister of Argentina 

Amre Moussa, Former Foreign Minister of Egypt 

Emil Salim, Former Environmental Minister of Indonesia 

Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary UNFCCC 

Hindou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)

Zakri Abdul Hamid, Former Science Advisor to Prime Minister of Malaysia 

Rashid Sumaila, Professor Institute for Oceans and Fisheries

Members of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee have issued the following statements:

Russ Feingold, former US Senator and Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region:

“As former government leaders, ministers and experts, we understand that this is an ambitious commitment, but it is viable and absolutely necessary to ward off the extinction spiral and ultimately to preserve our planet and ourselves. It is also vital to acknowledge that Indigenous People are inextricably linked to biodiversity and that expanding recognition of their rights is an effective, moral, and affordable solution for conserving nature. Indigenous Peoples must be central partners in the development and implementation of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the global agreement should ensure free, prior, and informed consent in the formation and management of protected and conserved areas.”

Graca Machel, former First Lady and Minister of South Africa:

“As a new member to the Global Steering Committee I am excited to be a part of this last sprint to the finish line - I am confident together we can encourage levels of ambition the world has never reached before when it comes to protecting biodiversity, especially in my home of Southern Africa.”

Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia:

“The ambition and leadership Africa has shown so far has been remarkable. But we must not falter, ahead of COP15 it is vital that the whole continent and the African Union embrace the 30x30 goal and recognise the benefits, social and economic, that it can bring”

Loren Legarda, Philippines Deputy Speaker:

"I applaud the action that has already been taken to protect nature, through this collective effort to protect 30% of the world’s land and sea. I am certain it will reap benefits for generations to come.”

Christiana Figueres Former Executive Secretary UNFCCC:

“The last year we have seen climate change and the protection of nature take prominence like never before, but there is still much work to be done. We must not be side lined by empty promises and green washing. Nature based solutions such as 30x30 offer a tangible, practical and achievable goal to pin our efforts upon and we should all be committing to it.”

Susana Malcorra Former Foreign Minister of Argentina:

“With COP26 behind us, it might be easy to think we can take a breath. But we cannot, we do not have time. It is vital that all parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity come together at COP15 to commit to bold and ambitious targets, 30x30 included. None of our futures are certain unless we are united in this effort.”

The full list of steering committee members can be found here.

For interview requests please contact katy@atalanta.co.

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