Great March for Biodiversity and Human Rights: Over 3,500 people take to the streets for biodiversity and human rights

MONTREAL, Dec. 10, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - TIOHTIÀ:KE (Montreal) - The COP15 Collective, the CBD Alliance and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, along with Greenpeace Canada, are pleased to announce that over 3,500 people gathered today to join the Great March for Life, which started at 1:00 pm at the Mount Royal statue, despite the freezing cold.

COP15 is the most important global meeting on biodiversity in over a decade and the groups present at the march argue that world leaders have a responsibility to live up to this historic moment. These major coalitions and their hundreds of thousands of supporters  that governments establish a Global Biodiversity Framework that is strong enough to reverse the loss of biodiversity and ensure the rights of communities and individuals, including Indigenous peoples, who protect the world's ecosystems.

The march will continue to the Parterre du Quartier des spectacles where a stage will be set up to host the following speeches :

• MC : Ashley Torres (Muskrat Collective) and Samuel Rainville (Innu land defender)
• Swetha Stotra Bhashyam, Global South Focal Point of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network [in English]
• Anne Céline Guyon, climate expert project manager for Nature Québec, member of the COP15 Collective of Quebec civil society [in French]
• Ta'Kaiya Blaney, Tla A'min First Nation land defender (British Columbia) [in English]
• Lucien Wabanonik, Councillor, Council of the Anishnabe Nation of Lac Simon (Quebec) [in French]
• Puyr Tembé, President of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of the State of Pará (FEPIPA) (Brazil) [in Portuguese, direct translation to English]
• Mariann Bassey, Food Sovereignty Programme Coordinator, Friends of the Earth Nigeria and Africa [in English]
• Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, Kanien'kehá:ka land defender from Kanehsatà:ke homelands (Quebec) [in English]

The mobilization of a crowd of this magnitude in the bitter December cold, is reflective of the importance of this moment for civil society, and the urgency communities from across the globe feel to make their voices heard at COP15, which runs until December 19th at the Palais des Congrès. Photos of the march are available here.

"I will never forget today's march: the solidarity between people! Solidarity with our living planet, solidarity with people near and far, solidarity with land defenders, and solidarity we have to demand an ambitious global framework from our leaders — one that meets the scale of the environmental crises we face. The crowd of 3,500 people who gather here today have a clear message for negotiators at COP15: failure is not an option," says Anne-Céline Guyon, project manager and climate expert of Nature Québec, member of the COP15 Collective.

For interview requests:
Alexander Walsh
COPTICOM, Stratégies et relations publiques
514-601-2073
[email protected]

Marie-Eve St-Onge
COPTICOM, Stratégies et relations publiques
514-601-5504
[email protected]

Source:
Albert Lalonde
David Suzuki Foundation
514-699-6561
[email protected]

Ashley Torres Olachea
Muskrat Collective
438-924-2038
[email protected]

About

     -  COP15 Collective

The Quebec civil society COP15 Collective (Collectif COP15) is an alliance of over 100 organizations composed of environmental non-profits, international cooperation NGOs, unions, professional associations, youth organizations, financial organizations, research centres, and charitable foundations that have joined forces to protect biodiversity on the occasion of COP15.         

     -  CBD Alliance

The CBD Alliance is a global network of over 400 civil society organizations that share a common interest in advancing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with a vision that addresses the underlying causes of the biodiversity crisis. It aims to ensure a link between those who protect biodiversity on the ground and within the CBD bodies, while respecting the autonomy of each.

     -  Global Youth Biodiversity Network

The Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) is an international network of youth organizations and individuals from all over the world whose common goal is to prevent the loss of biodiversity. Recognized and supported by the CBD Secretariat, GYBN is the official body representing the voice of global youth in negotiations regarding the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

     -  Greenpeace Canada

Greenpeace is an international network of independent organizations that act according to the principles of non-violence to protect the environment, biodiversity, and to promote peace. It relies on a movement of committed citizens to build a sustainable and equitable world.

SOURCE Collectif COP15