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The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework also aims to cut food waste in half. COP15 was originally set to be held in Kunming, China, in October 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Strengthen the web of life’

The Framework, and its associated package of targets, goals and financing “represents but a first step in resetting our relationship with the natural world,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), speaking during the closing plenary.
“Now is our chance to shore up and strengthen the web of life, so it can carry the full weight of generations to come,” she added.
“Actions that we take for nature are actions to reduce poverty; they are actions to achieve the sustainable development goals; they are actions to improve human health.”

Protection and restoration

The head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Achim Steiner, described the agreement as “historic”, urging countries to take it forward.
“This agreement means people around the world can hope for real progress to halt biodiversity loss and protect and restore our lands and seas in a way that safeguards our planet and respects the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities,” he said.
Mr. Steiner underlined commitment to “turning this blueprint into reality” through the ‘UNDP Nature Pledge’, which will support more than 140 countries.
“We are ready for action. UNDP is there to deliver the systemic changes that can shift the needle on our nature crisis,” he said.
“Biodiversity is interconnected, intertwined, and indivisible with human life on Earth. Our societies and our economies depend on healthy and functioning ecosystems. There is no sustainable development without biodiversity. There can be no stable climate without biodiversity.”
Speaking to reporters in an end-of-year press conference in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the agreement showed that “we are finally starting to form a peace pact with nature”, urging all countries to deliver on their promises.

Accelerating action

COP15 also saw the launch of a platform to help countries to ramp up implementation of the Framework.
Twenty-three countries, led by Colombia and supported by Germany, signed a declaration establishing the Accelerator Partnership to support governments in fast tracking implementation of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
Aims include facilitating access to financial and technical support, developing institutional capacity tailored to different levels and national needs, and promoting dialogue.
Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the UN Biodiversity Convention, welcomed the development.
“Urgent action is needed to, not only jumpstart implementation of the new global biodiversity framework, but also to continue to accelerate and upscale implementation of NBSAPs as we work together towards realizing the shared vision of living in harmony with nature and securing a sustainable future for all” she said.
The Accelerator Partnership was launched on Day 2 of the High-Level Segment at COP15.
Colombia and Germany, together with the UN Biodiversity Convention, UNEP and UNDP, will assist with the design, development, structuring, operationalization and monitoring of the mechanism.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Türk reported that the number of people arbitrarily detained - either for expressing their political views, or for being perceived as critics of the Government - rose from 195 in September to 225 today.
“This includes relatives of detained political opponents, allegedly to coerce the latter into surrendering,” he said.

Precarious detention conditions

These persons – 26 women and 199 men – are being held in precarious conditions, something which his predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, had noted.
Those detained in the infamous El Chipote prison continue to suffer inhuman conditions, with limited access to medical care, balanced diets, or regular family contact.

Mr. Türk also highlighted other developments of concern.

Civil society clampdown

He said more than 3,000 national and international non-governmental organizations have been shut down, almost half since September alone.
As a result, countless people are now without access to important services or assistance.
The authorities have also closed 29 local and international media outlets, effectively muzzling the press.
Additionally, a new law adopted in October requires registration and government authorization for the production, filming and exhibition of any audio-visual material.
“Human rights defenders, journalists, clergy or those perceived to be political opponents, are arrested, harassed, intimidated,” said Mr. Türk.
“Some are prosecuted for the offences of conspiracy to undermine national integrity or for ‘false news’. All part of a systematised effort to stifle opposition and dissent.”

Election-related arrests

The lead up to, and holding of, municipal elections in November “had the trappings of an exercise in autocracy,” he said.
The months prior to the voting were marked by “a wave of arrests and dismissals of political opponents.”
Political parties that had their legal status revoked last year were also excluded from participating.
“Reportedly, election day was ripe with intimidation, with checkpoints set up around the polling stations to track voters. People perceived as political opponents were denied access to the polling stations,” Mr. Türk told the Council.
“After the elections, riot police reportedly repressed supporters of the indigenous political party YATAMA, who claimed having won in the municipality of Waspam, in the Northern Caribbean Coast. We were told that at least 19 people, mostly young indigenous people, were arrested and detained for several days.”

Asylum and isolation

Meanwhile, the crisis continues to ripple beyond the country’s borders.
Between January and October of this year, Costa Rica received 70,000 new asylum applications from Nicaraguans, while more than 147,000 citizens showed up at the United States border.
Nicaragua also continues to isolate itself from the international community.
The country has failed to engage with several UN human rights bodies and has not cooperated with the Inter-American system of human rights.

Engagement and commitment

Addressing the situation will require concerted engagement and commitment at national, regional and international levels, grounded in international human rights standards, said Mr. Türk.
He urged the authorities to immediately release all persons who have been arbitrarily detained.
The High Commissioner also appealed for those who have been excluded from the political and social spheres, to be allowed to participate freely again in public life.
Mr. Türk emphasized that the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly, must be respected.
“My Office is ready to work with the authorities in these areas, and I request access to the country for my staff,” he said.
The UN rights chief added that it is important for the international community to ensure sustained backing for Nicaragua’s civil society organisations, many of which continue to operate from exile.

Floods in the capital, Kinshasa, and some provinces have destroyed homes and farmland, as well as schools and other public infrastructure.
“The Secretary-General extends his condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the Government and people”, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement, also wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

A city submerged

According to news media, the floods claimed more than 120 lives and left major roads in the city centre submerged, several homes collapsed and triggered landslides in hillside areas.
Entire neighbourhoods were inundated with muddy water, and ripped apart by sinkholes, including the highway that connects the capital to the country’s main port of Matadi, recounted news reports.
The Government announced a three-day period of national mourning.

Country in crisis

The UN humanitarian office has long pointed out that the DRC remains one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world.
This year alone, an estimated 27 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection.
Located on the River Congo, Kinshasa has seen a huge population influx, and with 15 million inhabitants, is one of the most densely populated capitals in Africa.
Many dwellings there are shanty houses built on flood-prone slopes, and the city suffers from inadequate drainage and sewerage.

Standing in solidarity

DRC President Félix Tshisekedi blamed the catastrophe on climate change, noting that while polluting countries trigger harmful consequences, his State lacks the resources to protect itself.
Secretary-General António Guterres expressed the United Nations’ solidarity with the DR Congo as it supports the response.

That’s according to UN trade and development agency, UNCTAD, whose analysts said that global growth “turned negative” during the second half of 2022.
The UN agency said that trade in goods and services is expected to reach $25 trillion and $7 trillion respectively, by the end of the year.
The downturn began in the third quarter of the year, with goods trading about one per cent lower than from March to May.

Values dip down

In its global trade update, UNCTAD said that although services actually increased by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, both goods and services are expected to fall in value in the run-up to the end of the year.
Demand for foreign goods “proved resilient” through 2022, the trade and development update said, with trade volumes overall increasing by three per cent.
Trade volumes of east Asian economies have shown resilience, while South-South trade lagged during the third quarter.
Overall, “geopolitical frictions, persisting inflation, and lower global demand are expected to negatively affect global trade during 2023”, said UNCTAD in its report highlights.

Negative factors

Among the negative factors teased out, are lower economic growth forecast through 2023 due to high energy prices, rising interest rates, sustained inflation in many economies and the depressive impact of the war in Ukraine.
Prices of components and consumer goods are expected to dampen demand for imports and lead to a declining volume of international trade.
Record levels of global debt and increased interest rates, “pose significant concerns for debt sustainability”, increasing pressure on those governments most in debt, and “amplifying vulnerabilities”.

Positive factors

On the upside, ports and shipping companies have adjusted to the supply chain crunch provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic, with new ships entering service, and port congestion, largely resolved, said UNCTAD.
Recently signed trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in the Asia-Pacific (RCEP), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), “should come to fruition and provide some momentum” for the whole international system, the report highlights.
Risk and uncertainty continue to be high for global supply chains overall, but efforts towards forging a greener global economy, are expected to spur demand for environmentally sustainable products, said UNCTAD, while reducing the demand for goods with high carbon content, and for fossil fuels.