On the 15th, the first phase of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded, which was held in virtual format and in which the “Kunming Declaration” was adopted.

On the 15th, the first phase of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) concluded, which was held in virtual format and in which the “Kunming Declaration“ was adopted. The text was adopted by the ministers responsible for environmental issues who took part in the high-level segment organised in the framework of the Conference, which met in this first phase from 11 to 15 October.

The Kunming Declaration has been adopted within the framework of the high-level segment of the Conference under the theme “Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”. The text stresses the importance of conserving biodiversity with a focus on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and recognizing that its full achievement at the environmental, social and economic levels is necessary to enable the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention’s 2050 Vision for Biological Diversity to be met.

Unprecedented crisis of biodiversity loss
In addition, it emphasizes “with grave concern” the fact that the unprecedented and interrelated crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, land desertification, ocean pollution, and growing risks to human health and food security, pose a serious threat to our society and its prosperity and to the planet itself.  

The Declaration identifies changes in land and sea use, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species as the main drivers of biodiversity loss. It also recognizes the important role played by indigenous peoples in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Firm commitments to action
In this context, the Declaration fulfils commitments to ensure the development and adoption of a global framework to reverse the current loss of biodiversity and to ensure that biodiversity is on track for recovery by 2030 by 2030, with a view to the full realization of the 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with nature”.

Another commitment focuses on working with the respective governments of the countries that have adopted the text to further promote the integration of the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity into decision-making, for example by integrating the multiple values of biodiversity into the policy sphere, economic and social.

The Declaration also sets as a goal to accelerate and strengthen the development and updating of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), in order to ensure the effective implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework at the national level.

The text also aims to increase the application of ecosystem-based approaches to address biodiversity loss, restore degraded ecosystems, increase resilience, mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as to support sustainable food production, promote health and address other challenges. All this seeking to guarantee the benefits in the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The Kunming Declaration will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly, the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the United Nations Environment Assembly at the second part of its fifth session. The continuation of COP15, scheduled in person, will be held from April 25 to May 8, 2022, in the Chinese city of Kunming.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty, adopted in 1993 and signed by almost 200 countries, whose objectives are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of natural resources and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of these resources.