Bart Van Vooren was interviewed for an article in Forward Law Review detailing his selection to represent the private sector as an observer on the Cali Fund’s steering committee. The Cali Fund is a new global financial mechanism launched in February 2025 that aims to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources.
Bart said: “I am honored to be appointed to the Steering Committee of the Cali Fund, and I’m very grateful to our clients in the cosmetics industry for putting my name forward. Even though the private sector has no formal voting power on the committee, the goal is to represent the broader voice of life sciences companies, in addition to my own expertise in biodiversity law.”
He continued: “The Cali Fund has the potential to become a landmark instrument for biodiversity finance, but only if it is co-designed with those it seeks to involve. My role on the steering committee will be to ensure that private sector perspectives are brought to the table early and constructively, with a view to designing a framework that fosters trust, legal certainty, and innovation.”
“Lots of companies want to contribute to biodiversity,” Bart stated, “but the stacking of one benefit-sharing obligation after another has created a complex regime that is difficult to navigate.” Bart shared that this reflects a growing trend among governments asking the private sector to play a role in financing global biodiversity objectives. “At the same time,” he said, “meaningful private sector engagement will require more than calls for solidarity. It will demand a careful calibration of expectations, legal obligations, and operational design. As highlighted in forthcoming submissions by several sectoral organizations to the CBD Secretariat, the current draft design of the fund raises critical concerns related to legal certainty, innovation incentives, and practical feasibility.”
He explained that companies engaged in costly R&D with a high risk of failure rely on clear rules to assess risk, allocate capital, and make long-term investments. Vague or overly broad obligations – especially where payment or compliance burdens are concerned – can act as a deterrent to participation.
Bart concluded: “As someone who advises innovation-intensive companies on navigating global regulatory and treaty frameworks, I hope to contribute to bridging the gap between the realities of commercial R&D and the aspirations of international environmental policymaking.” “It is essential that we move beyond abstract principles and begin to develop pragmatic mechanisms that are both credible to governments and workable for industry,” he said.
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