On 29 April 2021, China unveiled the official website for the 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15). The CBD COP 15 is scheduled to take place in Kunming, Yunnan Province, from 11 to 24 October 2021.
On 28 May 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) sent an invitation letter to all provincial governments, inviting local authorities to showcase achievements and best practices in biodiversity conservation at China’s CBD COP 15 Pavilion in Kunming. The exhibition, which is planned to be set up by the end of August, will be divided into three sections: one for the whole of China, one for Yunnan Province, and one for all other provinces together. Moreover, a virtual exhibition will be prepared and completed by the end of September.
On 06-07 June 2021, a warm-up event of the ‘”Business and Biodiversity Forum”, an event running parallel to CBD COP 15, was held in Kunming, under the theme of “The business and finance journey to Kunming: We are part of the solution”. This event was co-hosted by the CBD Secretariat Office and the MEE and facilitated by the Foreign Environmental Cooperation Center (FECO) of MEE, the World Economic Forum, and the Office of Yunnan Steering Group for CBD COP 15. On-site and offline keynote speeches were given by the United Nations Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Ocean, the Resident Representative of UNDP China, and the Regional Director of the French Development Agency in China. This event was supported by the United Nations and relevant international organizations, as well as companies such as China General Nuclear Group and Huawei. . Around 200 representatives from international organizations domestic and foreign governments, civil society, as well as businesses, attended the event on-site, with around another 300 joining online.
