Historic announcement follows ASEAN member states' calls for more funding 
for global biodiversity agreement


At a high-level event in the margins of the 76th session of the UN General 
Assembly, nine philanthropic organizations launched the "Protecting Our Planet 
Challenge" and pledged $5 billion 
[ 
https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16685/Private-Funders-of-the-New-Protecting-Our-Planet-Challenge-Announce-5-Billion-Commitment-to-Protect-and-Conserve-30-of-Planet-by-2030.aspx 
] to protect and conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 by supporting protected 
areas and Indigenous stewardship of their territories. This marks the 
largest-ever philanthropic commitment to nature conservation. 

The science based 30x30 target has emerged as a central element of the 
Convention on Biological Diversity’s draft 10-year strategy [ 
https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/914a/eca3/24ad42235033f031badf61b1/wg2020-03-03-en.pdf 
], which is expected to be approved at COP15 in Kunming, China in April 2022. 
Indigenous leaders welcomed the announcements as a sign of how the 30x30 target 
could be aligned with human rights. 

Throughout the Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations, ASEAN member 
states have raised the important topic of biodiversity finance. A landmark 
study [ 
https://www.paulsoninstitute.org/key-initiatives/financing-nature-report/ ] 
found that current global spending on biodiversity needs to increase by more 
than a factor of five in order to protect the most important biodiversity 
around the world.

The event also featured over a dozen heads of states, Indigenous leaders, and 
high-level United Nations officials, and resulted in additional financing 
commitments from governments and multilateral institutions to help close the 
biodiversity funding gap.

Leaders from the ASEAN regions reacted to the announcements with the following 
statements:

Ms. Vicky Tauli Corpus, Nia Tero Board Chair & Former UN Special Rapporteur on 
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said:

"Investing in the rights of Indigenous peoples and their guardianship of 
territory is one of the most important, and most overlooked, strategies for 
addressing the existential threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. As 
an organization committed to securing Indigenous guardianship of thriving 
ecosystems, we applaud these leading-edge funders for dramatically expanding 
support of this essential pathway to achieve the 30x30 targets."

Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim, Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, 
said:

"This funding announcement is good news for nature and good news for the ASEAN 
region. It sends an important message to countries ready to protect or conserve 
additional land or sea areas that there will be new funding to help them. Given 
the concentration of biodiversity in our region, ASEAN member states will have 
an important role to play in implementing the 30x30 global target, but their 
efforts will only be successful with enough financial support."

Dr. Yongyuth Yuthavong, Former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of 
Science and Technology for Thailand, said:

"This is precisely the type of announcement that many in the region have been 
hoping for. With appropriate funding, key proposals like 30x30 become not only 
necessary, but viable. I encourage all ASEAN member states to support the 30x30 
global target and to start thinking about how they could contribute to its 
implementation."

Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Ambassador and Science Advisor to the Campaign for 
Nature, and former Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, said:

"I am pleased to see more funding committed to protected and conserved areas, 
and I look forward to seeing more ASEAN member states embracing the 30x30 
global target. Science has clearly shown that this is the minimum amount of 
conservation needed to help curb global biodiversity loss, and economic 
research has shown that achieving 30x30 will create jobs and spur economic 
growth."

KM Reyes, Co-Executive Director and Co-Founder Centre for Sustainability PH, 
said:

"Directly funding our Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities at the 
frontlines of nature is the only way we will effectively overcome the dual 
biodiversity and climate crises we face. I applaud the philanthropic groups who 
commit to this. To protect our future, our governments and companies must do 
the same."


FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: 
Name: Alif Abdullah 
Tel: +60 12-612 0020

Name: Azmil Zakri 
Tel: +60 17-389 6039

Source: ATRI ADVISORY