Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako has expressed concern over the delay in the implementation of commitments for biodiversity finance made to support developing countries at the 15th Conference of Parties on Biodiversity, COP 15.
Salako who’s now the Minister of State for Health, said at the Conference of Parties on Biodiversity, COP 16 in Cali, Columbia that there can be no excuse for not reaching the $20 billion pledge by the 2025
deadline.
He added that, how developed countries address this critical issue will determine the success of the COP.
Salako expressed concern over the delay in meeting the deadlines for realising the biodiversity framework.
“While Nigeria government is committed to increasing biodiversity finance ourselves, to truly activate more National Finance and improve our ability to help achieve our ambitious goals for restoring and conserving the natural world, this cannot replace or supersede the funds pledged through the adoption of target 19 (a)” Salako stated.
He called on the developed countries to urgently increase their international finance commitments and develop a roadmap and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the commitments to developing countries will be delivered on time.
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“Today, we, are releasing a Ministerial Declaration endorsed by 20 countries from the Global South to call on the developed countries to urgently increase their international finance commitments. This is a call to action and this is an offer to work together to increase accountability and transparency” He added.
Salako’s address read in part:
“During the COP15 negotiations, the $20 billion target was generally understood as a doubling of the existing level of funding. We have learned since then that the level of international nature finance at the time of the COP15 negotiations was actually $15.4 billion.
This means that delivering $20 billion is not a doubling of the baseline – it is only a 30% increase which is very modest. We therefore invite our partners in the Global North to go beyond the bare minimum and to endeavor to go far above the $20 billion by 2025 pledge…”
While delivering Nigeria’s National Statement at the High Level Segment of the 16th Conference, Salako said the country is strengthening National capacity to protect nature through policies, action plans and legislative framework.
“Nigeria is leading the way with our sister ECOWAS Nations to ensure the implementation of 30 by 30 and I can proudly announce that we are on a clear path to secure effective protection of 30% of the ECOWAS region by 2030. Nigeria is coordinating to jointly seek the designation of the first generation of highly and fully protected marine protected areas in the high-seas. We are also uniting to launch a coordinated action to combat illegal and unsustainable exploitation of threatened wild species”
He reiterated the readiness of the Government of Nigeria to implement decisions that will be adopted at the meeting, stressing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to ensure that Nigeria continues to play its role in honouring Multilateral Environmental Agreements without compromising the sovereignty of the country.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
