Cali, Colombia. Fr. Anselmus Baru, CMF the Prefect of Apostolate Colombia-Venezuela, Angie Lorena Marin, the JPIC coordinator Colombia-Ecuador and Yuly Cecilia Blandon, SoMi team member from Choco, Colombia-Venezuela Province are participating in COP 16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia. This conference started on October 21 and is scheduled to end on November 1, 2024. It is part of a series of three COP conferences that have been organized within this year to address the urgent concerns on biodiversity loss, climate change, and desertification. The team is coordinated by Fr. Baru, CMF. It aims at amplifying our commitment to environmental stewardship and advocacy through collaboration with various stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, and Indigenous communities.
This year’s COP 16 has been organized under the theme of “Peace with Nature.” The Claretians plan to advocate for protection of our biodiversity and engage in meaningful dialogue with diverse groups. They intend to transform the event into a learning opportunity, exploring new perspectives and best practices related to biodiversity conservation. Their goal is to bring insights back to our communities and missions to foster greater awareness and action on this critical issue.
The participants are also aware that our global presence places us in geographical areas that have been designated as biodiversity hotspots. Therefore, they will be keen to get actively involved in reviewing the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and engage in negotiations for resource mobilization. Acknowledging their role as eco-sentinels, they will seek to engage in fruitful dialogue that would reflect our mission of safeguarding biodiversity while emphasizing the value of spirituality in the care of creation.
