Johannesburg, Oct 22 (IANS): South Africa will advocate for fair and equitable benefit-sharing from utilising genetic resources and digital sequence information on genetic resources at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16).

"We approach COP16 with a clear focus on aligning biodiversity conservation with social and economic development, ensuring that the use of our biological resources benefits all South Africans," said Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh on Monday.

He will lead the delegation to the conference held in the Colombian city of Cali from Monday to November 1, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to Singh, South Africa will further call for the provision of adequate, predictable, and timely financial resources for the protection of natural heritage.

He said South Africa will negotiate as part of the Africa Group of Negotiators on biodiversity, focusing on key issues such as resource mobilisation, mechanisms for planning, reporting and review, as well as scientific and technical cooperation.

"We will reiterate President Ramaphosa's call at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly that the financial architecture needs to be reformed to meet the needs of developing economies for sustainable development," said Singh.

He added that South Africa will call for the operationalisation of a dedicated Global Biodiversity Fund under the authority of the COP to support countries to stop and reverse biodiversity loss.