Cali Fund to Support Global Biodiversity Initiatives

The UN has established the guidelines for the Cali Fund for the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits From Digital Sequence Information (DSI) launched in Rome during COP16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The fund, backed by private sector contributions from industries using DSI, aims to mobilize financial resources for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.  

Half of the fund’s resources will be allocated to self-identified needs of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including women and youth. The Cali Fund will also support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) by financing National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) in developing countries and enhancing scientific research on biodiversity.  

The fund will be hosted by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). A Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the launch, outlining the institutional arrangement.  

Large companies in sectors reliant on DSI, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agricultural biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, are expected to contribute a portion of their revenues. Public research institutions, academic entities, and businesses not utilizing DSI are exempt.  

Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary, CBD, highlighted the fund’s significance as the first global mechanism under the CBD to receive private sector contributions linked to DSI-based commercial activities. UNDP and MPTFO officials emphasized the fund’s role in ensuring equitable benefit-sharing and strengthening biodiversity conservation efforts worldwide.