COP15 president: Post-2020 biodiversity framework taking shape

Since assuming the COP15 presidency, China has actively exercised leadership and coordination in its efforts to advance negotiations of the post-2020 GBF. So far, China has convened a total of 37 COP15 meetings of the presidium. It has also presided over four meetings of the open-ended working group on the post-2020 GBF in such places as Geneva and Nairobi in collaboration with the CBD secretariat.

China has made significant efforts to advance framework negotiations. The frequency of the meetings, especially the frequency of the presidium meetings, is quite rare in the process of multilateral environmental negotiations.

Moreover, China has been using all sorts of occasions, such as the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the G20 Joint Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting, the high-level week of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly and COP27 as opportunities to organize exchange activities on key COP15 issues in various forms, including high-level roundtables and briefings.

We have also held frequent bilateral consultations with many other contracting parties to expand consensus. These efforts have both effectively maintained the political momentum of COP15 and facilitated the bridging of differences among contracting parties to achieve greater consensus.

All parties recognized the great efforts made by China in the COP15 presidency in coordinating the positions of all parties and expressed their willingness to work with China to push for the adoption of an ambitious, practical and balanced post-2020 GBF.

Although there are still many difficulties and demands in the consultations, all parties have expressed their firm political support and confidence in the negotiation process and China's role in the COP15 presidency.

I am confident the international community will respond positively to the spirit of community embodied in the theme of the upcoming conference "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth" and demonstrate the wisdom and courage to overcome these difficulties and differences.

During the second phase of COP15, China will continue to play its presidency role well. With the support of the CBD secretariat, the presidium and the host country, China will work with fellow contracting parties, international organizations and stakeholders to spare no effort to advance the negotiation process, build the broadest possible consensus in the international community, promote the adoption of the framework and ensure the second phase of COP15 in Montreal is successful.