Pakistani PM Imran Khan unveils National plan at the UN Summit
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UNITED NATIONS:Recognizing that the continued deterioration and degradation of the world’s natural ecosystems were having major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people, world leaders called for increased resolve to protect biodiversity at a day-long top-level meeting on Wednesday.
A record number of countries – nearly 150 countries and 72 Heads of State and Government -addressed the first ever Summit held on biodiversity to build political momentum towards the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, to be adopted at COP15 in Kunming, China next year.
The day-long summit also featured Leaders Dialogues conducted via video-teleconference, one of which focusing on addressing biodiversity loss and mainstreaming biodiversity for sustainable development, was co-chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Welcoming participants, PM Imran Khan said Pakistan, with 12 climatic zones, is committed to protect its biodiversity. Highlighting some of those efforts, he said one national plan aims at planting 10 billion trees.
The project is currently enlisting the help of local communities, giving them jobs and making them part of initiatives towards protecting biodiversity.
During the dialogue, Heads of State and Government shared national challenges and actions adopted to stem biodiversity losses. Many world leaders agreed that biodiversity was a critical part of achieving sustainable development objectives and that more investments are needed to promote green economies.
Some agreed that humanity is in the middle of a planetary emergency, marked by the compromise of biodiversity at unprecedented speed.
The virtual summit — featuring pre-recorded statements by Heads of State and Government, ministers and senior officials from nearly 100 countries and international organizations — sought to build momentum ahead of the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, which was originally scheduled to be held in Kunming, China, in October but was postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus. That conference aims to adopt a comprehensive post-2020 global biodiversity framework as a stepping-stone towards a 2050 vision of “living in harmony with nature”.
