Georgetown, Co-operative Republic of Guyana July 23, 2025
We, Heads of State, Ministers of Government, representatives of multilateral organizations, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, academia and the scientific community, civil society organizations, and Think Tanks, gathered in Georgetown, Co-operative Republic of Guyana, hereby express our collective commitment towards strengthening global action for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the planet’s biodiversity.
Recognizing that biodiversity is fundamental to human well-being, climate stability and resilience, food and water security, public health, and the long-term sustainability of ecosystems — and that the accelerated loss of biodiversity, exacerbated by climate change and unsustainable practices, necessitates a more urgent, coordinated, transformative and ambitious global response grounded in science;
Recognizing further that, through the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, 196 Parties have committed, through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, placing nature on a path to recovery by 2030, and achieving a world living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Acknowledging that surpassing of irreversible tipping points in the state of critical ecosystems such as the Amazon biome, is detrimental to our efforts towards sustainable development; and that safeguarding biodiversity is essential not only to maintain ecological integrity but also to bolster the resilience of communities, the success of sustainable development, and protecting tropical forests, oceans, freshwater systems, deserts, and all biomes, is essential to achieving biodiversity conservation, and the future of life on our planet.
We reaffirm our commitment to advancing efforts in support of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We encourage and support the promotion of sustainable and inclusive bioeconomy pathways that contribute to conservation and restoration, particularly in regions of high ecological value such as the Amazon Basin.
Driven by the urgency of the need to address these issues, we collectively establish the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) as an open, adaptive, and non-binding platform for voluntary actions by diverse actors to address the root causes of biodiversity loss through policies and actions:
We affirm that the Global Biodiversity Alliance: Aims to 1. Raise global awareness of the biodiversity crisis and its interlinkages with other global challenges, such as climate change; 2. Increase ambition at every scale to address global biodiversity loss; and 3. Increase access to and availability of financing, through a menu of options, to address the biodiversity crisis.
Serves as a collaborative space that complements and strengthens existing efforts, particularly those under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. It enables new initiatives, and fosters the development of innovative, inclusive and scalable solutions to address biodiversity loss.
Seeks to build an active community of nations, businesses, corporations, organizations, communities, territories, academia and individuals committed to the shared vision; securing the Earth’s biodiversity by making its true value visible and expanding the reach of actions to address technical, political, and financial drivers of biodiversity loss in coherent and effective ways.
In this collective effort, we understand and highlight the importance and relevance of each participating sector to the success of this common agenda.
Nation states acting through their Heads of State and Government, provide the political leadership and institutional legitimacy necessary to drive change at the national and international levels, ensuring that biodiversity becomes a central priority in development strategies and public policies. It is envisioned that the GBA would enhance the achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets, thereby contributing towards greater progress at the global level.
Multilateral organizations possess the convening power, technical expertise, and operational reach, to play a vital role in aligning global efforts and mobilizing international cooperation and financing.
The private sector brings essential resources, innovation, and the capacity to scale solutions, and is crucial to transform production and consumption to realise sustainable value chains that protect and enhance biodiversity.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, with their traditional ecological knowledge and territorial stewardship, are guardians of vast biological and cultural diversity. Their ancestral knowledge, and lived experience are irreplaceable assets in designing and implementing effective sustainable and equitable biodiversity strategies.
Academia and the scientific community provide rigorous evidence-based information, cutting-edge research, and monitoring tools that inform decisions and strengthen the effectiveness and impact of biodiversity conservation actions.
Civil society and non-governmental organizations play key roles in advocacy, capacity-building, innovation and citizen engagement, ensuring that biodiversity efforts are inclusive, transparent, and responsive to the needs of communities.
Think Tanks and policy institutes offer strategic insight, data-driven policy analysis, and innovations that bridge the gap between science, governance, economics and community action.
We recognize that the effective implementation of these commitments requires adequate, predictable, and accessible financing. We therefore commit to enhancing resource mobilization from all sources and aligning financial flows with biodiversity objectives, in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We call for strengthened international cooperation and the development of innovative financial mechanisms to support developing countries in achieving their biodiversity goals.
A menu of innovative financial options and instruments could be explored and encouraged, including biodiversity credits, green bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, payment for ecosystem services schemes, sustainable taxonomies that align sustainable investment with measurable outcomes in conservation, restoration, and ecosystem-based climate action, and facilities like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF).
We welcome the plans to launch the Tropical Forest Forever Facility in Belém, at COP30, and recognize it as an innovative mechanism designed to mobilize long-term, results-based financing for tropical forest conservation.
This Declaration is non-binding and reflects a shared will to build a common working agenda that shall be shaped jointly and inclusively. It is open to all actors who share its purpose of safeguarding biodiversity as a global strategic asset, and is free from impositions and rigid frameworks.
From Georgetown, this Declaration marks the launch of a shared and evolving framework that is open, voluntary, and inclusive. It is intended to unite, elevate, and amplify the efforts and impact of all those working for a healthier, more just, and more resilient planet.
United for biodiversity, United for life.
| Name | State/ Organisation | Signature |
| H.E Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana | Guyana | |
| H.E. Mr. Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | |
| Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Hon. Mia Mottley, SC, MP, Prime Minister of Barbados | Barbados | |
| H.E. María José Pinto, Vice President of the Republic of Ecuador | Ecuador | |
| H.E. Iván Duque Márquez, Former President of the Republic of Colombia | Office of President Duque | |
| Dr. M. Sanjayan, Chief Executive Officer, Conservation International (CI) | Conservation International | |
| Dr. Alexander Killion, Managing Director, Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University. | Center for Biodiverstiy and Global Change, Yale University | |
| Dr. Christof Schenck, Executive Director, Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) | Frankfurt Zoological Society | |
| Dr. Erin Hagen, Senior Director of the Keller Science Action Center, Chicago Field Museum | Keller Science Action Center, Chicago Field Museum | |
| Brian O’Donnell, Director of the Campaign for Nature | Campaign for Nature |
| Mr. Mauricio Velasquez, Principal Executive- Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Bank of Latin America & Caribbean (CAF) | Bank of Latin America & Caribbean (CAF) | |
| Mr. James Cooper, Head of Origination EMEA, Environmental Products, Mercuria/ Silvania | Mercuria/ Silvania | |
| Derrick John, Chairperson, National Toshaos Council, Guyana | National Toshaos Council, Guyana | |
| Leroy Ignacio, Makushi Conservation Leader, South Rupununi Conservation Society (SRCS) | South Rupununi Conservation Society, Guyana |
