Women are Key Custodians of Biodiversity, and COP16 Could Strengthen their Conservation Efforts

Women in rural and agricultural communities worldwide are custodians of biodiversity, whilst also actively organizing and taking action for the sustainable use, management, conservation, and restoration of biodiversity. Governments, stakeholders, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), demonstrate growing support for these efforts; however, power inequalities still reduce women’s presence amongst decision-makers.

Gender and inclusion in biodiversity protection should remain a top priority for countries at the 16th session of CBD’s Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, to be held from October 21-November 1, 2024. Ahead of the event, experts from the Alliance and other international organizations outline the challenges of gender-responsive implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022, proposing concrete solutions, with clear examples of success stories that Parties to the Convention (almost 200 countries and territories) can use to ensure that their efforts to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity are gender-responsive.