The COP15 Collective, the CBD Alliance and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, along with Greenpeace Canada, marched with more than 3,500 people despite the freezing cold today in Montreal.
While COP15 is the most important global meeting on biodiversity for more than 10 years, the groups argue that world leaders have a responsibility to rise and respond to this historic moment. The major coalitions and their hundreds of thousands of supporters are demanding from States a Global Biodiversity Framework strong enough to reverse the loss of biodiversity and guaranteeing respect for the fundamental rights of communities and individuals, particularly indigenous peoples, who protect the planet’s ecosystems.
March for biodiversity and Human Rights
The mobilization of a crowd of this magnitude having chosen to brave the biting cold of December for several hours demonstrates the pressure weighing on the States which are currently negotiating the next Global Biodiversity Framework within COP15, which is continuing until December 19 in Montreal.
“I will remember one thing from this event: solidarity between peoples! Solidarity for a living planet, solidarity with peoples from here and elsewhere, guardians of territories, solidarity to demand from our leaders an ambitious global framework that is truly up to the task of environmental crises. The crowd gathered today had a clear message for those who are negotiating at COP15: you have no right to fail!” says Anne-Céline Guyon, climate expert project manager of Nature Québec, member of the COP15 Collective.
