A historic agreement at the Biodiversity Summit (COP15)

December 21, 2022
UNDP Iraq

 

A historic achievement at the UN Biodiversity Summit (COP15) in Montreal, Canada.

For the first time ever, almost 200 countries signed an agreement (30x30) to protect nature and halt biodiversity loss. Among the most important items of the agreement:

-Conservation and management of at least 30% of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and ocean.

-Restoration of at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland waters, and coastal and marine ecosystems.

-Recognising indigenous and traditional territories and practices, and the rights of local communities.

-Reduce to near zero the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance, including ecosystems of high ecological integrity.

For thousands of years, the Iraqi marshlands have played the vital role of being a key biodiversity area in the region. But today, the marshlands are amongst the most affected areas by climate change in Iraq. More than 3 years of drought have led to a substantial water loss, the death of many animals and the displacement of local communities which relied on the nature of the marshes for their livelihoods.

UNDP is committed to work with the Iraqi government to implement projects that reduce the loss of biodiversity in the marshlands, and to stop the displacement of the local communities to revive the region and restore its social and economic role in Iraq, and to benefit from this historic agreement at COP 15.