Dr. Yasmin Fouad, the Egyptian Minister of Environment, headed to Montreal, Canada, to participate in the "Endgame Facilitation" workshop regarding preparations for the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties for Biodiversity COP16, during the period from August 18-19, with the presence of Huang Runqiu, the Minister of Environment of China and President of the fifteenth session COP15, Xie Yingxian, the Director of Climate Change in China, Maria Susana Mohammed, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development in Colombia, Minister Marina Silva, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Brazil, Minister Maisa Rojas, the Minister of Environment in Chile, Minister Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Canada, and Mr. David Cooper, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

During the workshop, Dr. Yasmin Fouad presented her expertise in chairing the Biodiversity Conference, having served as the President of the United Nations Conference on the Convention on Biological Diversity during its fourteenth session COP14 from 2018 to 2021, and the important role Egypt played in facilitating the preparation of the draft global framework for biodiversity beyond 2020. She also co-led the consultation of the global biodiversity framework alongside her Canadian counterpart during the Biodiversity Conference COP15, aimed at facilitating negotiations during the conference regarding the global biodiversity goal.

Dr. Yasmin Fouad, the Minister of Environment, confirmed that the workshop aims to bring together the three Presidents of the Convention on Biological Diversity: Egypt for COP14, China for COP15, and Colombia for COP16, to work towards the successful facilitation of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the remaining preparatory negotiations in 2024. This serves as a clarification of the negotiation strategy by the presidency, where a report will be prepared outlining negotiation management strategies with actionable items for the Colombian presidency, adding that the workshop aims to assist Colombia, the next President of the Biodiversity Conference COP16, in managing fruitful negotiations characterized by transparency and inclusiveness.

The Minister of Environment clarified that progress towards achieving the goals of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties is driven by many key stakeholders responsible for different roles in the negotiation process, such as the Colombian presidency, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the co-chairs. They help to build bridges and develop proposals for decision-making within and outside the formal negotiation tracks of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties, which is linked to the necessity of defining roles and reaching a shared understanding of roles among all participants, emphasizing the need to better integrate political leadership into the negotiation process to maximize its benefits and ensure the overall success of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties.

The Minister of Environment continued that defining strategies and convergence tools brings the parties in the negotiation process closer to an agreement, which includes fostering a conducive negotiating climate, encouraging the linking of issues and comprehensive deals across various areas, effectively managing the agenda and drafting text, and preparing for the final declaration.