BOGOTA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Colombia will underscore the importance of biodiversity protection at the upcoming 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), said Colombian Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa.
"The first thing is to raise awareness about protecting biodiversity among all the countries. Many countries are not as biodiverse as Colombia and that is why they need to understand the impact" that backsliding or failing to conserve the environment has on issues of biodiversity, Correa said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
During the interview on the sidelines of the 7th International Environment Fair, which was held here from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, Correa also stressed the importance of securing "resource commitments starting next year," with all countries committing to contributing financially to be able to achieve these objectives and these goals.
At the Pre-COP15 meeting chaired by Colombia on Aug. 30, the government presented plans to protect the environment, especially to combat deforestation, Correa said, noting Colombian President Ivan Duque has also announced that the country will allocate resources and cooperate internationally to protect biodiversity.
The COP15 can lead to regional commitments to protecting the environment and biodiversity, said Correa. "We have to have goals at COP15 that are ambitious but achievable."
"The great expectation we have for COP15 is to be able to establish those indicators and those commitments from now on," he added.
The first part of the COP15 is set to kick off in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming on Oct. 11 both online and in person. The meeting will review the "post-2020 global biodiversity framework" to draw a blueprint for biodiversity conservation in the future.
The second part, to be held in person in the first half of 2022, will see broad and deepened negotiations toward an ambitious and practical post-2020 global biodiversity framework, according to China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Enditem