In view of the crucial UN (United Nations) summit on biodiversity (also known as Convention on Biological Diversity-COP15) to be held in Kunming, China in October 2020) and on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day on March 3, 2020, the European Commission has launched a new global coalition for biodiversity called ‘United for Biodiversity’ in Monaco.
Key Points:
i.The coalition consists of national parks, aquariums, botanical gardens, zoos, science and natural history museums from around the world to boost public awareness about the nature crisis.
ii.It also encourages national, regional and local authorities, NGOs (Non-governmental organizations), businesses, scientists and common man to play their key role in raising awareness ahead of the CoP 15.
iii.This coalition is clear in line with other initiatives and coalitions, such as the High Ambition Coalition led by Costa Rica.
iv.The institution also pledged to raise their voice for nature by adopting formed United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP)’s Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Global Assessment finding , which stated that one million species were already at risk of extinction.
v.The 196 Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity are expected to adopt a new global framework to protect and restore nature during CoP 15.
About Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES):
Headquarters– Bonn, Germany
Chair– Ana María Hernández Salgar
It is established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
About European Commission:
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium
President- Ursula von der Leyen(2019-2024)
Jurisdiction– European Union
