On December 21, Ambassador Cong Peiwu published a signed article titled "Jointly Advancing Global Governance on Biodiversity for a Better Future" on The Hill Times. Here is the full text:

The second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held in the Canadian city of Montreal from December 7 to 19. More than 10,000 delegates from all over the world participated in this world-renowned event. I am privileged to be part of the delegation of China which holds the presidency of COP15. Every time I stepped into the Palais des congrès de Montréal decorated with colorful stained glass panels, I was greeted with exhibits from all corners of the world and the beautiful voices of singers of Chinese ethnic groups and Canadian indigenous singers, which are all examples of the marvelous beauty of diversity.

When attending various events of COP15, I was deeply impressed by the international community’s concern for the current state of global biodiversity, and the strong willingness to cooperate and take immediate action of representatives of various countries. As Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the high-level segment of the second part of COP15, "A sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilization. We must work together to promote harmonious co-existence between man and Nature, build a community of all life on the Earth, and create a clean and beautiful world for us all." President Xi’s speech resonated strongly with the delegates at the conference and even the international community.

The most significant outcome of the conference is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. With active consultations and coordinated efforts, the conference reached the framework that is ambitious, pragmatic, and balanced, set targets and commitments that are acceptable to all parties, identified targets and pathways for global biodiversity protection, and set an example of cooperation for the international community. This framework has historically depicted the vision 2050 of "living in harmony with nature", historically incorporated the Digital Sequence Information (DSI) landing path, and historically decided to establish a framework fund.

China has long been attaching great importance to biodiversity protection and actively engaging in international cooperation. Like Canada, China was among the first countries to become a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity. As the presidency of COP15, China successfully hosted the first part of COP15 in Yunnan Province last year, during which the first leaders’ summit in the history of COP15 was held. At the summit, President Xi Jinping announced China’s initiative to establish the Kunming Biodiversity Fund and take the lead by investing 1.5 billion yuan. In recent years, China’s efforts to protect biodiversity and promote ecological progress have been widely recognized by the international community. During this meeting, the "Shan-Shui Initiative", which translates China’s concept of "restoring vital ecosystems, including mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands" into concrete action, was recognized as one of the first ten World Restoration Flagships by the United Nations. In the future, China will continue to conserve the ecological system, and maintain harmony between humanity and nature when planning our development, so as to continuously enhance diversity, stability, and sustainability in ecosystems.

In the newly adopted "Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework", "Mother Earth" was mentioned frequently. This Framework is a sincere contract between nature and human beings who respect and revere nature, and promise self-restraint and concession. Humanity shares a common future, just as a Chinese proverb goes, "A Single Silk Strand Does Not Make a Thread And a Single Tree Cannot Make a Forest." Let’s work together to inject new strength into global biodiversity protection, create a strong synergy to safeguard Earth, our common homeland, and further enhance global governance on biodiversity.