(The original article in Japanese was posted on October 15, 2021)

 

On October 13, "Kunming Declaration" was adopted at the ongoing 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. The declaration commits to reversing the loss of biodiversity and ensuring the way to recovery by 2030. The conference held both live and online is the “warm-up session” for the upcoming plenary meeting scheduled in April next year. A total of 21 targets have been proclaimed, and issues such as conservation of 30% of Earth’s land and seas by 2030, restrictions on the use of agricultural chemicals, prevention of the spread of invasive foreign species, and promotion of support measures for developing countries will be brought up for discussion.

The COP15 is especially important in the adoption of a new set of goals for the next 10 years based on the progress of the COP10 "Aichi Targets" adopted in 2010. Nevertheless, out of 20 targets agreed upon in Aichi, only 6 are "partially achieved" and 14 are "not achieved at all." Surpassing Aichi targets in terms of numbers, Kunming’s 21 targets need to clear a very high hurdle to attain feasible goals. Furthermore, anyone can see the difficulty of filling in the gap between developing and developed countries under the current situation that developing countries desire to make economic growth their top priority.

On the contrary, a conflict between developed and developing countries is another deep-rooted concern caused by the fact that developed countries buy biological resources at low prices, make use of them and consume them at their own discretion. Besides, at the COP10, they also adopted the "Nagoya Protocol" with the principal objective as follows: "the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources." And that is the key factor that the United States would not join the COP for the fundamental purpose of protecting the interests of pharmaceutical and bio-industries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, attending the COP 15 opening summit online, announced that China will offer 1.5 billion yuan to support developing countries and establish the “Kunming Biodiversity Fund.” You could say it is one of those diplomatic strategies that appeal China's multilateralism, especially to developing countries, at the international conference during the absence of the United States. Despite all of that, I will positively take his announcement of the funding if it can pave the way for building an international consensus.

The biodiversity loss will lead to a collapse of delicate balance of the entire ecosystem. Resultingly, unexpected points of contact between humans and wild animals increase, which becomes an origin of new infectious disease. It is generally understood that SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and the new coronavirus are both derived from wild animals.

The Article 8 of the Nagoya Protocol calls for "special considerations" for “present or imminent emergencies that threaten or damage human, animal or plant health, as determined nationally or internationally.” In other words, sharing information on pathogens of animal origin and fair distribution of research results are also integral issues. I earnestly hope that China, assuming the role of COP15 Presidency, will create a highly effective framework for the restoration of global biodiversity and readily disclose information on zoonotic diseases the world is coping with right now in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

This Week's Focus, October 15

Takashi Mizukoshi, the President