The 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (COP 15) was held online on October 11-15 in the Chinese city of Kunming. The conference was attended by representatives of about 150 countries.
During the conference, the objectives of the preliminary document of the new global biodiversity strategy until 2030 were discussed: priority actions, new biodiversity targets, issues related to illegal trade in wildlife. The new vision of biodiversity conservation until 2050 "Living in harmony with nature" was also discussed.
Within the framework of the Convention on Biodiversity, a new global strategy for world biodiversity is planned to be approved in 2022. Armenia actively participates in these works and discussions.
During these meetings, On October 12, during the high-level meeting, the Legal Adviser of the RA Minister of Environment Levon Aghasyan spoke and presented the progress of Armenia's fulfillment of its obligations under the Convention on Biodiversity, the current state of Armenia's biodiversity and prospects for its development, ongoing actions and reforms. The features of landscape and biological diversity of specially protected natural territories (protected areas) in Armenia, development prospects, ongoing actions and reforms were presented as a goal of key importance for the conservation of biodiversity. Over the past decade, the total area of protected areas in Armenia has grown to 80,000 hectares, as a result, it currently amounts to more than 387,000 hectares or about 13.1% of the total territory of the republic.
On October 13, 2021 as a result of the conference, the member countries of the Convention approved the Kunming Declaration "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth".
This declaration will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the Environment in 2022.