May 22 marked the International Day for Biological Diversity. On May 21, the second International Tea Day, a thematic webinar "COP15: Road to Kunming, Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth" was convened.
Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Zhang Jun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, Mr. Volkan Bozkor, President of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Ms. Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), attended and addressed the webinar. Mr. Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, elaborated on the progress of preparations for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15). Mr. Guo Huadong, Director General of CBAS, Ms. Irene Hoffmann, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in FAO, and Ms. Shen Fei from Malipo County of Yunnan Province in China were invited to share their experiences and practices in biodiversity conservation.
Secretary-General Guterres said this is a landmark year for restoring balance with nature, tackling the climate emergency and getting ahead of the pollution crisis. Our efforts to protect biodiversity will be key. Our solutions to the current crisis must expand opportunity, reduce stark inequalities and respect planetary boundaries. Nature-positive investments and actions can ensure we all benefit from the dividends of biological diversity. He noted the COP15 will be held in Kunming, China, in 2021, which will finalize an ambitious new global framework for biodiversity that can protect nature, restore ecosystems and reset our relationship with the planet.
Mr. Guo gave a presentation on "Big Data for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development Goals", pointing out that the lack of key data has brought many limitations to global biodiversity conservation and achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). His research team has made important progress in monitoring and assessing biodiversity conservation and sustainable development through data production, methodology development, and case studies. He also introduced the mission and tasks of CBAS, and the function of the SDG Science Satellite (SDGSAT-1), which is scheduled to be launched in this year. He said that CBAS will make important contributions to biodiversity conservation and the achievement of SDGs.