With data confirming the worst ecological crisis facing coral reefs, amidst the ongoing fourth and most extensive coral bleaching event on record, an emergency special session has been called for October 30 on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Cali, Colombia. 

The session will address the unfolding crisis and call for bolder actions and strategies before irreversible damage occurs—threatening over a billion people and more than quarter of marine life worldwide. This affects all the coral countries, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Special emergency sessions on non-humanitarian issues are rare, highlighting the severity of the situation. As of late August, more than 75 percent of coral reefs worldwide are affected, according to the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).