The COP16 on biodiversity concluded in Rome on February 27, 2025, reaching a global agreement to mobilize $200 billion per year by 2030 for the protection of endangered species, with funding from both public and private sources. A compromise mediated by Brazil established that the fund will be managed within the Global Environment Facility (GEF), under the control of the COP, with the possibility of developing a separate system in the future.
Additionally, the “Cali Fund” was launched to redistribute profits from the commercial exploitation of genetic resources to benefit developing countries and indigenous communities. However, uncertainties remain regarding the effective implementation of these measures, as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) has so far raised only $382 million, far from the set targets.
The absence of the United States, which has not ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Italy’s limited presence have drawn criticism. Despite these challenges, the agreement represents a step forward in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 in 2022.
