• The day will showcase how SMI members’ ambitious corporate Nature commitments are translating into tangible on-the-ground action and impact through innovative partnerships and collaboration.

• CEO Jennifer Jordan-Saifi emphasises that “global biodiversity goals can be accelerated through joint action between national governments and the private sector.”

London, UK: The Sustainable Markets Initiative, the world’s go-to private sector organisation for sustainable transition, will bring together global private sector leaders at COP16 to discuss progress towards the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

COP16 is the first Biodiversity COP since 2022, at which the Kunming-Montreal GBF was adopted. The GBF sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with Nature by 2050, with targets to protect and restore 30% of land and oceans by 2030. The private sector has a critical role to play in supporting national governments to achieve these GBF targets and in the two years since it was signed, the Sustainable Markets Initiative has driven significant and tangible progress.

The SMI’s Business Leaders Forum, which will take place at the British Embassy’s GREAT Casa Británica on Tuesday 29 October, will showcase how its members’ ambitious corporate Nature commitments are translating into tangible on-the-ground action and impact through innovative partnerships and collaboration. The programme includes sessions on:

• Mobilising private sector finance to restore and protect Nature

• Building resilience through Nature-positive strategies in tourism and other real-economy sectors

• Oceans and coastal resilience

• Embedding Biodiversity into decision-making at every level

• Mobilising Regenerative Agriculture in Nature positivity

The day will feature SMI’s Industry Hubs and Lighthouse Projects, which support 14 Nature-focused workstreams across various sectors, including agribusiness, AI, circularity, fashion, finance, health systems, insurance, legal, and tourism.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, says: “Nature holds the solutions to a sustainable future and sits at the heart of our Terra Carta mandate. We know that global biodiversity targets can be accelerated through joint action between national governments and the private sector. As we put Nature at the centre of our economy, I am delighted that we are convening business leaders to demonstrate how ambitious corporate Nature commitments from finance and industry can translate into real-world impact.”

Interested parties who are not yet members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative are invited to contact COP16@sustainable-markets.org to discuss joining the sessions listed above, or to arrange introductory meetings in Cali.

Read full press release here