AKP Phnom Penh, May 09, 2025 —

The 6th edition of the Global Conference on Biodiversity Finance took place in Chile from May 6-8, as over 130 countries rallied behind global biodiversity goals, exploring bold innovations — from nature bonds to repurposed subsidies, from fintech to nature credits — to unlock sustainable funding for conservation in an era of declining international aid.

With 92 new countries advancing their national biodiversity finance plans, the conference signaled a groundswell of global support for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) and constituted the largest gathering of the nature-finance community to-date, convening senior government figures representing ministries of environment and finance, including delegates from Cambodia.

According to a UNDP's press release, the message was clear: innovation in public finance, subsidy repurposing, private sector engagement and access to finance for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, are essential to sustainable finance for nature. Currently, approximately one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, many within the coming decades. This decline is primarily driven by human activities, including land and sea use changes, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species.

“Today, the main challenge is to make biodiversity visible and recognise its critical role in economic development, social organisation, and the identity of our countries, bringing its understanding to a clear, measurable dimension that is integrated into national accounts and sustainable economic development,” said H.E. Maisa Rojas, Minister of the Environment of Chile, speaking at the opening session. 

BIOFIN is a global partnership with over 133 countries to develop and implement finance solutions for nature. Since 2018, it has deployed the finance-for-finance approach in 41 countries to catalyse over US$1.6 billion  for nature.

Cambodia joined the partnership in 2019 as the 31st member country and UNDP has been working alongside the Ministry of Environment to identify and support the implementation of biodiversity finance solutions that have the potential to significantly improve the management and financing of biodiversity.

Achievements include the Biodiversity Finance Policy and Institutional Review (PIR), the Biodiversity Needs Assessment (FNA), the Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER) and the Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP) highlighting top five priority biodiversity finance solutions for Cambodia.

A recurring theme at the conference was a growing role for the private sector in driving nature-positive investment decisions, through blended finance instruments such as green bonds, and equitable approaches such as access and benefit sharing.

A global shift to nature-positive economies could generate as much as US$10 trillion in new business opportunities according to UNDP’s Nature Pledge – a flagship commitment to support 140 countries achieve the global biodiversity targets.

“This conference exemplifies the momentum we are building through the UNDP Nature Pledge to shift how we account for nature in our economic and financial systems around the world,” said Midori Paxton, Global Director of UNDP’s Nature Hub.  

The progress achieved at the 6th Global Conference come at a pivotal time, with major global milestones ahead in 2025 — including the Forth International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain and the UN’s Climate COP30 in Brazil. It offers a crucial opportunity to advance the integration of biodiversity finance into national development plans and the broader Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

AKP