"The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries, and its objections raised the prospect of legal challenges".

"A once-in-a-decade deal to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems finally won full support at Cop15 in Montreal on Monday after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) dropped its opposition.

Earlier on Monday, Ève Bazaiba, the DRC’s environment minister, threatened to throw the integrity of the historic UN biodiversity agreement into doubt just hours after it was signed, when China’s summit president appeared to ignore her country’s objections to the text and forced it through.

But on Monday evening, just before the final plenary, the Chinese Cop15 president, Huang Runqiu, approached Bazaiba to shake her hand in an apparent apology – to the applause of the entire conference hall at the Palais des congrès– and she later gave a speech in which she congratulated the Chinese environment minister on the deal, acknowledging it had passed. The DRC’s concerns over finance will be registered as part of the final report of the Cop."

Patrick Greenfield and Phoebe Weston report for the Guardian December 20, 2022. [2]

SEE ALSO:

‘We Didn’t Accept It’: DRC Minister Laments Forcing Through Of Cop15 Deal (Guardian) [3]

"Biodiversity Emerges as New Risk for Asset Managers After UN Summit" (Bloomberg Green) [4]

"Rainforest-Rich Nations Ensure COP15 Deal On Nature Sticks" (Reuters) [5]