In February 2025, the U.N. launched the Cali Fund to channel corporate profits into nature conservation in developing countries, aiming to raise $1 billion annually. However, it has only collected $6,000 from two small contributors, encountering frustrating challenges in engaging the private sector.

The Cali Fund asks firms that profit off of information extracted from the natural world to volunteer a fraction of their earnings to the fund. The money raised would then go toward biodiversity projects in developing countries and to indigenous communities.

But raising awareness about the fund, how it works and why it matters hasn't been easy. "Few countries have very, very actively engaged with their industries" to get them on board, said Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity, listing Norway as an exception.

@IntelSlava