President’s COP15 call for global solidarity on protecting ecosystems hailed as ‘inspiring’
Chinese actress Li Huaixiu (front left) and actor Li Huaifu from Yunnan province perform a tune from the Yi ethnic group at the opening ceremony of the high-level segment of the second part of COP15 in Montreal, Canada, on Dec 15. (YU RUIDONG / CHINA NEWS SERVICE)
President Xi Jinping on Dec 15 underlined the need to build international consensus on biodiversity protection, and called for efforts to improve global biodiversity governance and build a community for all life on Earth.
Xi made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the high-level segment of the second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP15, via video link.
Focusing on the theme of “Ecological Civilization — Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”, the high-level segment was convened in Montreal, Canada, at a pivotal time as the international community rallies to address the current biodiversity crisis.
The objective of the high-level segment was to build and maintain political momentum in support of the negotiations to develop a detailed and effective Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which would be adopted at the Montreal conference. China, the president of COP15, had made efforts to lead and coordinate the negotiation process.
Xi said that humanity lives in a community with a shared future.
“Be it in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, or in enhancing biodiversity protection and achieving sustainable development globally, solidarity and cooperation are the only effective ways to address global challenges,” he said.
Noting that a sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilization, Xi called for international cooperation to promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature, build a community of all life on Earth, and create a clean and beautiful world for all.
He urged all parties to staunchly defend true multilateralism, firmly support the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and form a strong synergy for protecting the Earth.
Experts and officials hailed Xi’s speech, saying the call to build global consensus, push forward the global process of biodiversity protection and turn ambitions into action embodies China’s commitment to biodiversity protection, and that it would inject a strong impetus into global biodiversity governance.
“He made a very inspiring welcome address here at the COP15 in Montreal, where he really encouraged all parties to identify the path toward a global outcome on biodiversity so as to hold and reverse and protect nature,” said Florika Fink-Hooijer, director-general for environment at the European Commission.
“I think it was also very positive that he firmly emphasized the international system with the United Nations at its core,” Fink-Hooijer said.
The speech by Xi contained some powerful words, particularly the focus on the need to take action, said Marco Lambertini, director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature International, adding that this is what the world needs to reverse biodiversity loss.
“And at the moment, the negotiations are a little bit stuck. But we really also appreciate the effort of the Chinese presidency to mandate leaders from different governments to really begin to address the differences that still exist.”
Xi’s statement was inspiring, said Leonardo Cleaver de Athayde, director of the department of sustainable development of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry.
“I think he conveyed all the right messages to delegations here at COP15. … I think it’s an approach that is very compatible with the concept of sustainable development, which is very dear.”
Salman Zafar, founder of Eco-Mena, an environmental think tank in Doha, Qatar, said: “President Xi’s speech is of great importance due to the fact that biodiversity is an integral aspect of all processes which support life on Earth.”
Xi’s emphasis on biodiversity conservation is expected to spur all countries to initiate concrete steps to reduce the exponential loss in biodiversity, Zafar said.
With natural ecosystems being increasingly threatened by human activities, it is essential for all countries to take urgent steps to protect and restore natural ecosystems, he said.
Deniz Istikbal, an economic researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a policy think tank in Ankara, Turkiye, echoed his view, and emphasized that international collaboration should be humanity’s highest goal.
Jiang Zhigang, a professor in conservation biology at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the world is facing a biodiversity crisis, and that genetic diversity in many plants and animals has eroded.
He cited a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, saying 75 percent of the world’s food is generated from only 12 plants and five animal species nowadays, and many plant and animal species in the wild are endangered and even extinct due to habitat loss and human activity, and the ecosystem structure is damaged.
COP15 plays a crucial role in reversing biodiversity loss and restoring the natural environment by implementing the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, Jiang said in an article published on the website of China Global Television Network. Governments and stakeholders needed to recognize the cost of inaction, he said.
Noting the biodiversity crisis, experts urged developed countries to assume their responsibilities and help developing nations realize the vision of “living in harmony with nature by 2050”.
In his speech, Xi called on the international community to build global consensus on biodiversity protection, jointly work for the conclusion of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and identify targets and pathways for global biodiversity protection.
While stressing the need to push forward the global process of biodiversity protection, he called for efforts to turn ambitions into action, support developing countries in capacity-building and coordinate efforts to address climate change, biodiversity loss and other global challenges.
Xi urged promoting green development through biodiversity protection, speeding up the green transition of development modes and lifestyles, and leveraging the China-proposed Global Development Initiative to deliver greater benefits to peoples of all countries.
“We need to uphold a fair and equitable global order on biodiversity protection, firmly defend true multilateralism, solidly support the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and form strong synergy for protecting the Earth, our common homeland.”
Xi reiterated China’s commitment and actions on biodiversity protection as well as on building a shared future for all life, saying the nation will actively respond to the Action Plan for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and launch a large number of key projects on biodiversity protection and restoration.
“We will do our best to provide support and assistance to fellow developing countries through the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition and the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, so as to elevate global biodiversity governance to a new height.”
At the Leaders’ Summit of COP15, which was held in Kunming, Yunnan province, in October last year, Xi announced China’s initiative to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund and take the lead by investing 1.5 billion yuan ($216 million) to support biodiversity protection in developing countries.
As a country with some of the richest biological resources in the world, China has also put biodiversity protection high on its domestic agenda.
Since 2015 the country has established 10 pilot national parks, including parks dedicated to protecting Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, as well as giant pandas.
Ninety percent of China’s terrestrial ecosystem types and 74 percent of key State-protected wild flora and fauna species have been placed under effective protection measures, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
“We cannot do anything but support and work and help and learn from China on how it is managing nature, conservation areas, national parks, nature reserves and so on,” said James Hardcastle, head of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s protected and conserved areas team.
For nature conservation, China is “winning the World Cup”, Hardcastle said.
Jan Yumul in Hong Kong and Xinhua contributed to this story.
