Decision COP 16/29

The Conference of the Parties,

Recalling its decision 16/24 of 1 November 2024, in which it noted that, in the event of extraordinary circumstances that rendered the holding of in-person meetings impractical, urgent decisions, such as those on budgetary matters, might be taken under silence procedure,

Recalling also that the closing plenary session of its sixteenth meeting, held in Cali, Colombia, was suspended on 2 November 2024 without completing the consideration of a number of agenda items,

Recognizing the need to convene in the first quarter of 2025 an in-person resumed session of its sixteenth meeting to complete discussion of the agenda items still pending and to close the meeting, 

Recognizing also that convening said in-person resumed session will generate expenditure to cover the costs of the venue, as well as travel costs and subsistence allowances for Secretariat staff and delegates from eligible Parties,

Reaffirming the importance of the full and effective participation of delegates from developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and Parties with economies in transition in the meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity,

Noting that the resumed session of its sixteenth meeting will be held in Rome from 25 to 27 February 2025,

1. Authorizes the Executive Secretary to draw down an amount not exceeding 288,000 United States dollars from the unspent balance of the General Trust Fund for the Convention on Biological Diversity, representing 72 per cent of a total amount of 400,000 dollars required to convene the in-person resumed sessions of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity;

2. Strongly encourages developed country Parties and other Parties in a position to do so, including in the context of South-South cooperation, to provide the necessary financial resources to the Special Voluntary Trust Fund for Facilitating the Participation of Parties in the Convention Process in order to enable the full and effective participation of representatives of developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and Parties with economies in transition in the resumed sessions;

3. Authorizes the Executive Secretary, on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent, and in consultation with the Bureau, to draw down a total amount not exceeding 500,000 dollars from the unspent balances of the General Trust Fund for the Convention, the General Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Cartagena Protocol and the General Trust Fund for the Core Programme Budget for the Nagoya Protocol, to be used in respect of a shortfall in the Special Trust Fund for Facilitating the Participation of Parties in the Convention Process, to support the participation of delegates from developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, and Parties with economies in transition in the resumed sessions of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol and the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol.