On 22 September 2021, more than 53 world leaders — including presidents, prime ministers, financiers, philanthropists and representatives of civil society and indigenous communities — convened at the 76^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA-76) on ‘Transformative Action for Nature & People’ to reaffirm the urgency of reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and securing a nature-positive world.

The event focused on the "30 by 30" target, which aims to protect 30 % of the planet's land and water over the next decade, to address the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and climate change. It also fulfilled the commitment within the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature (LPN) to meet at UNGA 76 and was an opportunity to present progress on the growing membership of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (72 members, including the European Commission), the Global Ocean Alliance (61 members), and the LPN (92 endorsers, including the EU). Together these three coalitions represent 120 countries, 41% of global GDP and 32% of the world population.

Nine organisations pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to support the creation, expansion, management and monitoring of protected and conserved areas of land, inland water and sea, working with indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society and governments. This marks the largest private funding commitment ever to biodiversity conservation.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, reiterated her announcement that the European Union will double its external funding for biodiversity in the next 7 years compared to 2014-2020, in particular for the most vulnerable countries, and launched the Nature for Life Hub 2021.

The commitments announced at this event are essential to spur additional conservation investment and will help fill the significant funding gap, estimated at US$700 billion per year.

We invite you to read the summary of the event, which provides an overview of the ambitious actions showcased and announced, general considerations referred to during discussions, and proposed next steps.

You can also see the video and read the press release of this high-level meeting.