Cali, Colombia – Companies face a stark choice when addressing the biodiversity fragility highlighted during the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) this week: continue damaging practices and face censure from investors, regulators, communities and their own customers, or embrace sustainable practices which will unlock the potential of natural capital and open up opportunities to expand market share, charge a premium for their products and access lower-cost green financing.
“We are at a crossroads where business as usual – harming biodiversity for short term economic gain – is no longer acceptable to governments, consumers, civil society and even the companies and executives driving economic activity across the globe,” said Inter-American Institute on Justice and Sustainability (IIJS) CEO Claudia de Windt. “Companies that lead the charge into biodiversity recognition, protection, and sustainable use will flourish in the 21st century’s changing global economic landscape. Those that don’t will suffer and fall by the wayside as they stick to the failed 20th century model.”
It is clear that over the next century companies that continue negative risk exposure to ecosystems will come under increasing pressure from investors, regulators, clients, consumers, and communities. Meanwhile, firms that produce using natural resources in a sustainable way that preserves natural capital will maintain their market share and meet third-party supplier regulations on sustainability. They will also be able to charge premium prices while accessing additional benefits such as lower-cost green financing.
At #COP16 IIJS is partnering with global leaders to advance the Global 2050 Vision for Biodiversity in Latin-America. Critical to this vision of the future is managing nature-related risks and enhancing environmental and social governance.
The conference of the parties will feature hundreds of events where top policymakers and private sector leaders will share their insights on the best path forward in balancing profits and natural capital for a sustainable future.
IIJS is co-hosting a series of events at the global meeting (see events here) with participation of CEO and Founding Partner Claudia S. de Windt, Founding Partner Maria Amparo Alban, Associate attorney Maria Juliana Pedraza, Gustavo Alanis Ortega, IIJS Board member, Associate Attorney and Associate Experts Nicholas Bryner, Julio Guity, Salvador Nieto, and Cristiane Derani. IIJS participation is focused on identifying opportunities for coordinated action to enhance nature-based solutions and reward sustainability.
Key partners include the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its World Commission on Environmental Law and its Mesoamerica and Caribbean and South America Offices and the European Commission.
It is fitting that Colombia was selected to host #COP16. The Americas is the most biodiverse region on earth. The region is also a global exporter of critical metals, such as copper and lithium, is a major source of biofuels and oil, and is a global leader in soft commodities exports like grains, meat, bananas, coffee and fish. Growing demand for these natural resources, means business as usual is placing more and more pressure on the region’s fragile ecosystems. Negotiations at COP16 seek to bridge the finance gap to tackle the biodiversity and nature crisis along with creating enabling conditions for business and other key stakeholders to drive innovative solutions and to invest in nature.
About the Inter-American Institute for Justice and Sustainability: The IIJS is an institutional start-up that works with companies at the intersection of business and nature, helping them incorporate human rights and nature policies into their operations to create added value. By bridging the gap between the public and private sectors, its efforts on risks and results based social and environmental performance drive coherent value-based action points that help to shape sustainable development governance across the region.
For additional information contact: Mauricio Pastora, Associate [mpastora@ii-js.org, 202-570-4041)
