The UN Biodiversity Conference COP 16 took place from 16 October to 2 November 2024 in Cali, Colombia. It marked a turning point for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, by adopting historic decisions that will help to advance Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ rights and the protection of traditional knowledge towards nature.

As the main indigenous body advising the Conference of the Parties (COP) on the implementation of Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the IIFB pushed forward five main priorities in the negotiation process: the establishment of a Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8j (SB8j), the adoption of the New Programme of Work and institutional arrangements on Article 8(j) and other provisions of the Convention related to indigenous peoples and local communities, the development of the monitoring framework including Traditional Knowledge Indicators, advancing on resource mobilization and finalizing the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

In this line, the IIFB engaged parties, encouraged dialogue and helped to build consensus amongst Indigenous Peoples and local communities of the 7 socio-cultural regions through initiatives such as the TRUA World Summit on Traditional Knowledge Related to Biodiversity, thematic Working Groups, preparatory meetings, daily caucus meetings, side events, and proactive interventions at plenary sessions, among other activities.