12 September 2019
2020 Biodiversity Conference Theme to Focus on Ecological Civilization
Photo by Ryk Porras on Unsplash
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The theme is rooted in the Chinese vision of an ecological civilization and draws inspiration from traditional and new eco-innovations.

High level officials mentioned that the theme aims to inspire a global society in which economic, social, cultural and environmental concerns are addressed in a truly holistic way.

5 September 2019: The Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have announced the theme for 2020 Biodiversity Conference. The theme is rooted in the Chinese vision of an ecological civilization and draws inspiration from traditional and new eco-innovations.

The meeting’s theme, ‘Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth,’ was announced on 5 September 2019, at a special press conference between Li Ganjie, Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, and Cristiana Paşca Palmer, CBD Executive Secretary. The Conference, which will take place in October 2020 in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, will review the achievement of the CBD’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Country Parties are also expected to take a final decision on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

Nature is the fundamental infrastructure supporting life on earth.

Speaking at the press conference, the high level officials mentioned that the theme aims to inspire a global society in which economic, social, cultural and environmental concerns are addressed “in a truly holistic way, by recognizing that nature is the fundamental infrastructure supporting life on earth.”

Li mentioned that the chosen theme reaffirms China’s political commitment and encourages the international community to protect biodiversity and accelerate actions on the existing global biodiversity targets, while guiding the direction of the 2020 negotiations. Paşca Palmer added that the Conference will represent “a historic opportunity” for the international community to set a new course that enables humanity to reconcile its relationship with nature by recognizing its dependence on the good functioning of natural systems.

Negotiations for the 2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted at the Conference started during the first session of the CBD Open-Ended-Working Group, which was held from 27-30 August, in Nairobi, Kenya. The next rounds of negotiations are scheduled for February 2020, in Kunming, China, and in Colombia in July 2020.

The 2020 Biodiversity Conference will also serve as the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the CBD, the tenth Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (Cartagena Protocol COP/MOP 10) and the fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (Nagoya Protocol COP/MOP 4) [CBD Press Release]


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