UN Biodiversity Fund Struggles to Raise Money from Companies Using Genetic Data

A UN fund set up to make corporations share profits from genetic data has raised only about $10,000 since its launch, far short of its expected goals. The fund, known as the Cali Fund, was designed to raise close to $1 billion a year from large companies in sectors like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and cosmetics that use digital sequence information. As of November 10, 2026, the fund had received just $10,588 from five small companies, with zero contributions from the major firms it targeted. COP17, the UN biodiversity summit that ended on October 31 in Yerevan, Armenia, failed to settle key rules for the fund and deferred decisions to COP18 in 2028.

Challenges

Companies that are expected to pay want legal certainty in return through certificates confirming their payments cover their use of data. However, online databases store genetic sequences without tracking where the physical samples came from, making it difficult to confirm legal access. Only 16% of sequences carry information on their country of origin in major databases like the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. Experts note that open access to genetic data from the Global South has not been matched by fair sharing of the financial benefits generated from it.

Context

The Convention on Biological Diversity requires that benefits from using natural resources be shared with the countries and communities that protect biodiversity, but old rules only applied to physical plant and animal samples rather than digital genetic data. Major databases holding this data are based in countries like the United States, which is not a party to the CBD, creating ongoing challenges for global oversight and accountability.