Cali (Valle del Cauca), September 20, 2024 – The capital of the Valley is preparing to receive the COP16 with more than 15,000 people from 196 countries at the Valle del Pacífico Events Center, where the physical adaptations have already begun to transform this place into the epicenter of the Blue Zone negotiations.
“We are one month away from starting in Cali the most important global conversation on biodiversity, where Colombia will be at the center of convergence of this great discussion. We have never before hosted an event of this magnitude in the country, which is why we are working flat out to transform and adapt the Blue Zone facilities at the Valle del Pacífico Events Center, where we expect to receive more than 15,000 people for two weeks,” said the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad.
30 days before the start of the most important summit to protect biodiversity in the world, the Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, confirmed that work has already begun on the adaptation of the Blue Zone of the COP16.
Muhamad explained that the transformation of the event center involves the structural assembly, adjustments and works of 27 pavilions, 14 negotiation rooms, a press area, a registration area and the Colombia Pavilion, which will have 396 square meters. These works will generate more than 400 local jobs.
Caption: More than 16,000 of the 76,000 square meters of the event center are being transformed to accommodate 15,000 people in the Blue Zone.
The Blue Zone will receive delegations from 196 countries to conduct negotiations, therefore, spaces for these deliberations, the development of keynote and protocol events, exhibition areas of eight countries and 16 international organizations, press area, offices for the United Nations , among others, must be guaranteed.
A sustainable COP16
This event will have a whole process of carbon footprint mitigation, measurement and compensation. Thus, different actions have been defined in the Blue Zone to ensure the sustainability of the event, taking into account sustainable materials, aspects of circular economy, waste management, among others.
The Blue Zone, which will be located in the Valle del Pacífico Events Center, is the space where negotiations and high-level dialogues will take place, and decisions will be made regarding the conservation of the planet.
In this sense, the materials used in these adaptation works will be reused for other events, separation at the source and disposal of solid waste will be carried out to ensure the closing of the cycle, and wastewater management will be carried out.
COP16 will be a plastic-free event. All containers that will be used are biodegradable, and the gastronomic offer is designed to take advantage of the harvests of the season, reactivate local commerce and mitigate waste.
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