COP15, the 15th Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, was held December 7-16 in Montreal, Canada.
Reports on COP15 were posted during the conference on our website here (Historic Deal reached at COP15), here (More About COP15) and here (COP15: Protecting Nature and Halting Biodiversity Loss)
Faiths at COP15, a coalition of faith-based organizations and conservation groups who advocate for biodiversity and support urgent international action, hosted a number of events.
You can watch the recordings here. Faiths at COP15 also released the “Multi-Faith Response to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.”
La COP15, la 15ª Conferencia de las Partes del Convenio de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Diversidad Biológica, se celebró del 7 al 16 de diciembre en Montreal (Canadá).
Los informes sobre la COP15 se publicaron durante la conferencia en nuestro sitio web aquí (Acuerdo histórico alcanzado en la COP15), aquí (Más sobre la COP15) y aquí (COP15: Proteger la naturaleza y detener la pérdida de biodiversidad).
Faiths at COP15, una coalición de organizaciones religiosas y grupos conservacionistas que abogan por la biodiversidad y apoyan la acción internacional urgente, organizó varios actos.
Puede ver las grabaciones aquí. Faiths at COP15 también publicó la “Respuesta Multirreligiosa al Marco Global de Biodiversidad Post-2020”.
Pope Francis will preside at the funeral Mass to be celebrated on Thursday morning , January 5, in St Peter’s Square, beginning at 9:30 am Rome time (3.30am Canada time).
The aim of this global pact is to halt and reverse the rapid loss of biodiversity by 2030, setting aside at least 30% of the world’s lands, oceans and inland waters for conservation and respecting the rights, roles and contributions of indigenous peoples toward this goal. The Framework designed at COP15 charts a new way forward, a path away from the damaging patterns that led to the destructionof ecosystems and diminishment of species over many decades. 
The COP talks are an effort to get countries to agree to policies that will halt and repair the damage and destruction caused by human activities like mining on the planet’s ecosystem and wild species. Over the course of the talks, attention has been focused on preserving 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030. But this depends on the technology and the finances available, and no deal can happen, however worthy and necessary, unless there are adequate resources. Several complex issues are at play in the negotiations – including the questions of how much territory countries are willing to leave undeveloped for the conservation of natural habitats and how to finance that effort. While there was agreement that countries which have great biodiversity, but which also need to develop their economies should not be the ones to carry the burden for the rest of the world, no significant progress has been made in resolving that critical issue.
What then is being asked of us? First of all, to let our hearts be changed by our experience of the [pandemic] crisis, to let God, at this time in history, transform our customary criteria for viewing the world around us. We can no longer think exclusively of carving out space for our personal or national interests; instead, we must think in terms of the common good, recognizing that we belong to a greater community, and opening our minds and hearts to universal human fraternity. We cannot continue to focus simply on preserving ourselves; rather, the time has come for all of us to endeavour to heal our society and our planet, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common.
Participants will set out new goals and develop an action plan for nature over the next decade. The conference will be held in Montréal, Quebec, the seat of the UN CBD Secretariat, from December 7 – 19, 2022.