With eyes on COP15, a high-level virtual event fosters cooperation to protect biodiversity
“COP15: Road to Kunming, Building a shared future for all life on Earth” was the guiding theme at today’s high-level virtual event, which also commemorated International Tea Day and International Day for Biological Diversity
Jointly organized by the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations in New York, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office in New York and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the high-level online dialogue “COP15: Road to Kunming, Building a shared future for all life on Earth” observed International Tea Day, taking place on May 21, and International Day for Biological Diversity, which took place on May 22. The virtual dialogue helped set the scene for the upcoming 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), due to take place in Kunming, China.
The event kicked off with opening remarks by Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN, saying “it is important for the international community to reflect on the relationship between man and nature, tackle challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change.”
In turn, and welcoming the occasion leading to this event, was António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, inviting all those in attendance to become part of the solution and recognizing that nature sustains life. “Humanity is waging a war on nature. We face a triple emergency – biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution,” he said.
Echoing the importance to act and think differently, the President of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkır said that “we must move beyond a scenario where the value of a tree is only counted once it has been felled and turned into lumber; we must appreciate the tree for its value in the Earth, as example of, and home to, biodiversity, and as natural carbon sink.”
Providing his remarks via video message was Munir Akram, President of the UN Economic and Social Council and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, who stressed “there is an urgent need, first and foremost, to promote nature-based solutions for the restoration of our ecosystems.”
The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, also spoke to this respect. “Now is the time to change our relationship with nature,” she stressed.
Setting the stepping stones for COP15
As part of his keynote speech, Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China, mentioned that “biodiversity is the basis for the survival and development of humankind, as well as the lifeblood and foundation of the shared future of all life on Earth.”
In representing his country hosting COP14, Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN, noted the ongoing efforts to draft the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework within the context of the CBD. “We have numerous opportunities before us in this year to set common objectives,” he said.
Commenting on the keynote speech was Ambassador Guillermo Roque Fernández De Soto Valderrama, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN. “We need to take urgent action to hold biodiversity laws by 2030 and place humankind on the pathway to living in harmony with nature by 2050,” he remarked. Colombia is to host the Third Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in 2021.
Innovation for sustainable development, applicable best practices
A best practice and experience sharing exchange segment followed, touching on three topics: the use of big data to monitor sustainable development, the linkages between biodiversity and food and nutrition and the sustainable tea production experience from Malipo County, in the Yunnan Province of China.
Guo Huadong from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, spoke of Chinese experiences in using artificial intelligence and geospatial monitoring for sustainable development.
In turn, Irene Hoffmann, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and Team Leader for Biodiversity within FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment shed light on the interplay between biodiversity and food, agriculture and nutrition, including on the importance of responsible tea plantation management.
Finally, Shen Fei, an indigenous representative of ethnic Yao from Malipo County, in the Yunnan Province of China, shared experiences on how biodiversity conservation can accompany poverty eradication.
A rich debate, with biodiversity at the helm
A fruitful high-level exchange ensued, with speakers sharing a unified voice in favor of joint actions to protect biodiversity for the shared wellbeing of humankind and the planet at large.
Proving closing remarks was Maria Helena Semedo, FAO’s Deputy Director-General. “We have the opportunity to scale up action for greater coherence and impact in national emissions for biodiversity, agri-food systems and climate,” she said, pointing to COP15, COP26 and the UN Food Systems Summit as strategic upcoming opportunities through which to pursue these very aims. In turn, Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN, concluded the event.
Related links
- Visit the dedicated event page
- International Day of Biological Diversity webpage
- International Tea Day webpage