I am delighted to be here in Italy, which is the most biodiverse country in the entire European Union, in terms of both plant and animal biodiversity. It is an appropriate place, therefore, to look at new and innovative ways to protect the biological diversity upon which we all depend.
The Cali Fund is a great example of that. It will be a new revenue source for biodiversity conservation, supporting the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
More than half of the global GDP depends on nature. Genetic data provides an increasing proportion of this in sectors such as energy, food and livelihood security, medicine, and the use of AI in life sciences.
But the rush to access that gold mine of genetic data must not leave behind the communities which protect these precious natural resources. Thats where the Cali Fund is a game-changer.
It will ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits from Digital Sequence Information on genetic resources. And it will compensate and support biodiversity-rich countries and Indigenous communities whose genetic resources and traditional knowledge contribute to global scientific advancements.
UNEP joins all the partners here today to work synergistically and cooperatively towards its full and effective implementation.
This fund will be hosted by our well experienced colleagues at the Multi Partner Trust Fund Office in partnership with UNEP, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and UNDP. The Cali Fund is a trailblazing example of multilateral collaboration for a financial mechanism for biodiversity.
UNEP stands ready to support and promote the full implementation of the Cali Fund through our entire network and existing networks with private companies, business associations and conservation agencies on the ground.
I commend all parties for taking this bold step forward, for the sake of biodiversity, people, and the planet.
Thank you.
