A summit with major announcements

At the COP16 Biodiversity Summit in Cali, CAF developed more than 60 events with the participation of 350 invited panelists, and its blue zone convened more than 10,000 attendees.

No ecosystem was left unaddressed: from Patagonia to the coral reefs of the Caribbean, from the Atlantic Forest (biome between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina) to the Biogeographic Chocó, which borders the Pacific, achieved initiatives of great importance, which, once they become a reality and yield results, will mark a before and after in the history of both socioeconomic development and the resilience of ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Precisely, and by way of example, one of the areas that were the subject of promising agreements in the context of COP16 was the Biogeographic Chocó, until then little known abroad, but one of the richest geographical areas in terms of biological diversity on the planet. In the framework of one of the CAF events, the creation of a multi-donor fund was announced for the recovery and conservation of its biome, as well as for the promotion of sustainable ecotourism in its coastal, riverside and jungle areas. Likewise, the imminence of a treaty between the countries touched by its idiosyncrasy and nature was also disclosed: Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador.

In addition, CAF notified the creation of the first Network of Women Piangüeras of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, whose work in the extraction and supply of the mollusk, as well as the care of mangroves - habitat of the piangua - was recognized as an activity worthy of economic productivity and regional sustainability.

In addition to the announcement of 300 million dollars to protect the biodiversity of LAC, CAF created a scientific committee that will work for the generation of knowledge originating from the region, in favor of its biological diversity and the valuation of the continent's ancestral knowledge. This committee will be aligned with the Chicó-Bogotá Declaration (a meeting of scientists that took place in the Colombian capital in October 2024) and will seek to defend the environmental wealth of the region, based on scientific evidence and respect for the traditions and practices of local indigenous and Afro-descendant ethnic groups.

CAF's pavilion was also the venue for a tribute to 10 leaders who work hard for environmental causes. In the same environment, financial innovation, through marine biodiversity credits, was the support for establishing an alliance between the Patagonia Azul Foundation and Natural Capital Reserve, aimed at strengthening the conservation of protected areas such as Pitipalena-Añihue, in Chile.

There was also good news for the moorlands, as CAF and the organization Cumbres Blancas Colombia signed an agreement to champion the integral protection of these ecosystems. Likewise, in an unprecedented effort to restore LAC's biodiversity, the New York Botanical Garden and CAF reached an agreement to develop biological bases that will help improve the connectivity of its vegetation.

The bank's agenda also included the launch of InNatureLab, in partnership with the Latimpacto and Trafigura foundations. This initiative, led by organizations of young environmentalists, aims to provide financial and non-financial support to CAF member countries to find bioeconomy solutions through innovation and co-creation processes.

The Migratory Bird Routes of the Americas project was also one of the successful results of CAF's participation in COP16. Its implementation began in January 2025 and will be based on studies conducted by BirdLife International with the support of the bank, which emphasize how to achieve resilience in bird migration in the face of the climate change crisis.

In addition, CAF, the World Economic Forum and the World Resources Institute joined forces for the blue economy with the signing of an agreement to explore, promote and develop ocean conservation and restoration projects under an ecosystem approach, marine energy transition and sustainable investment.

Women also had an overwhelming participation in the Cali summit, where they were not only recognized as standard bearers for environmental causes, but also declared "protectors of life. With this premise, CAF was able to bring together dozens of indigenous women whose lives revolve around the preservation of nature and highlighted the crucial role they play in fulfilling this purpose.

There was also time for commemorations, such as the 25th anniversary of the Amazonía sin Fuego program, and the second anniversary of the Biodiverciudades Network, whose celebration was used to include six Colombian cities: Cali, Quibdó, Leticia, Bogotá, Cartagena and Manizales.