Humanity is waging war on nature, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told Member States during the opening segment of the UN Summit on Biodiversity, and one consequence is the emergence of deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. The degradation of nature is not purely an environmental issue, he pointed out. It spans economics, social justice, and human rights, and can result in geopolitical tensions and conflicts.

Guterres and other speakers at the Summit, held in a socially-distanced UN Headquarters with Heads of State and Government and Ministers joining virtually, expressed concern that none of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets will be met by the 2020 deadline. Speakers called on Member States to use the Summit to build political momentum towards the post‑2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) to be adopted at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The Summit focused on the theme “Urgent Action on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development,” to highlight the urgency of action at the highest levels in support of a post-2020 GBF that contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and places the global community on a path towards realizing the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, “Living in harmony with nature.”

The full ENB summary can be accessed here.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin virtual coverage of the Biodiversity Summit was made possible by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).