In December 2022, Montreal hosted the 15th Conference of the
Parties ("COP15") to the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity1 ("CBD"). The global
meeting adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
("Kunming-Montreal Framework"),2 a non-binding
agreement that sets historic goals and targets but leaves the means
to achieve them in the hands of party states.
This article summarizes mechanisms in support of COP15
commitments from a Canadian perspective, and the means by which
Canada can fulfill these commitments with respect, notably to
Indigenous and environmental law.
Background
The CBD, which came into force in 1993, is a legally binding
international treaty concerned primarily with the conservation of
biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and
the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic
resources. The CBD is governed through the Conference of the
Parties, which assembles the governments of
