A year after its launch, the United Nations’ Cali Fund, created to channel benefits from digital genetic information back to biodiversity-rich countries and indigenous communities, has received only a handful of small contributions—far below the billion-dollar annual target envisioned.
- Fund opened in February 2025 to share benefits from digital biodiversity data.
- Only $6,000 in confirmed contributions so far, well below $1 billion goal.
- Startups lead contributions while large companies remain hesitant.
What happened
On November 19, 2025, TierraViva AI, a small artificial intelligence startup in the UK, made the first-ever payment of $1,000 to the UN’s Cali Fund. This marked a significant moment as the fund, created at the UN biodiversity summit in Colombia in 2024, seeks to address fairness in sharing benefits derived from digitized genetic resources. Since officially opening for contributions in February 2025, the fund has received only two confirmed contributions totaling $6,000, including a recent $5,000 payment from another UK biotech firm, Prozomix.
The fund targets companies in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, cosmetics, and biotechnology, which often utilize genetic sequence data uploaded to public databases without clear benefit-sharing mechanisms. Under an agreement reached at the Cali summit, companies meeting certain financial thresholds are encouraged to contribute a small percentage of revenue or profits to support biodiversity-hosting countries and Indigenous communities. Despite this, major corporate contributions have yet to materialize, with big companies hesitating to lead the way.
Why it feels good
The establishment of the Cali Fund represents an innovative, hopeful step toward equitable benefit-sharing from global genetic resources in line with biodiversity conservation and respect for Indigenous rights. The fund’s design allows direct payments to Indigenous peoples and local communities, recognizing their custodial role in protecting biodiversity. This new funding pathway complements wider global efforts to uphold fair and sustainable use of nature’s genetic wealth, aiming to foster stronger environmental stewardship and social justice.
Even though contributions have been slow, early payments from pioneering startups symbolize a positive signal of emerging corporate responsibility and inspire confidence that the fund is not just a concept but an active mechanism. Experts expect a ‘snowball effect’ will build momentum over time as awareness grows and trusted governance structures inspire larger companies to participate. As a fresh financial instrument, the Cali Fund’s gradual development may ultimately deliver sizable support to safeguard global biodiversity for future generations.
What to enjoy or watch next
Keep an eye on developments ahead of the upcoming biodiversity summit in Armenia, where further discussions and enhancements to the Cali Fund’s governance and promotion are expected. Increasing outreach to large companies, along with clear transparency about the fund’s use and impact, will be crucial to accelerating contributions. Observers hope that leading pharmaceutical and biotech firms will soon join the initiative, turning the Cali Fund into a powerful tool that benefits both global biodiversity and local communities.
Meanwhile, followers of biodiversity policy can look forward to learning more about how digital sequence information is being governed worldwide and the evolving role of Indigenous peoples in these frameworks. The fund’s progress will offer important lessons for global environmental finance and international cooperation in the years ahead, illustrating how innovative solutions can address long-standing challenges at the crossroads of technology, nature, and equity.