Here’s What You Need To Know About COP15 – And How Age of Union Is Showing Up

What is COP15?

COP15 is the 15th biennial conference of the parties of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), where participating country representatives and delegates meet every two years. The summit is imperative to maintaining worldwide efforts and staying on track to preserve the planet’s biodiversity.

The 196 countries that adhere to the CBD are meeting in Montréal throughout the month of December to discuss, collaborate, and negotiate targets to meet by 2030 – and with 20,000 delegates predicted to be in attendance, it may be the largest UN environmental conference ever.

This year’s summit is particularly important because, after two years of development, the first official draft of a new Global Biodiversity Framework will be presented.  The framework aims to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature and its essential services to people, with the goal that, by 2050, humanity will be “living in harmony with nature.”

How is Age of Union getting involved?

Age of Union Founder Dax Dasilva will be speaking at various panel discussions and conferences throughout the duration of COP15, representing the organization and informing attendees of its efforts to preserve biodiversity around the world alongside partners.

Dasilva is set to speak at three events:

Dec. 11: World Biodiversity Summit Panel –  Biodiversity Solutions for All: Towards an Inclusive Nature-Positive Future

This World Biodiversity Summit panel will outline why meeting targets outlined in the new framework is essential, specifically looking at; Target 19 focuses on capacity building in the Global South, Target 20 on ensuring that decision-making is informed by Indigenous and traditional knowledges, and Target 21 on the “equitable and effective” inclusion of Indigenous and local peoples in biodiversity decision-making. Dax Dasilva and the other speakers will highlight solutions that work towards these targets.

Dec: 12: COP15 Biodiversity Forum: Special Commitment Announcement on the Peruvian Amazon with Junglekeepers

A press conference with Age of Union and partner project Junglekeepers to announce a project expansion in the Peruvian Amazon.

Dec. 13: COP15 Leadership Forum. Ambition Meets Action: Leadership Dialogue on Prioritizing Biodiversity in Decision-Making

This panel will feature C-suite representatives that have been pushing to put biodiversity at the forefront of decision-making and who will discuss how an ambitious global biodiversity framework and an enabling environment are crucial conditions for scaled action and the successful achievement of the Global Goals.

For a full list of the events Age of Union will be involved in during COP15 and more information on how to attend, click here.

Why is biodiversity so important right now?

Some of the most pressing issues affecting us worldwide today, such as poverty, hunger, inequality, and climate change, can be traced back to the environmental status of our planet right now. 

We can alleviate and eventually solve these issues by coming together to prioritize biodiversity and work toward a greener world.

The UN’s 17 Global Goals were crafted to tackle the big challenges our world is currently facing and agreed upon by world leaders to build a better world by 2030. These goals include zero hunger, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and, most importantly, partnership to achieve them.

As the UN states, “to build a better world, we need to be supportive, empathetic, inventive, passionate, and above all, cooperative.”

How is Age of Union doing its part?

Collaboration for a better world is at the forefront of Age of Union’s mission.

The organization has partnered with 10 environmental conservation projects worldwide to prioritize biodiversity and work towards a greener, better world. These projects, which span across the globe, tackle a wide range of environmental issues as laid out by the UN’s Global Goals.

Sea Shepherd, for example, is an organization focused on protecting marine ecosystems and wildlife globally. In partnership with Age of Union, they work to prevent the bycatch of dolphins off France’s Atlantic Coast to work towards responsible consumption and production.

Each Age of Union project focuses on community and collaboration, working as locally as possible and seeking guidance from community leaders and experts in the areas at hand.