Context: At the first part of the ongoing virtual 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity over 100 countries adopted Kunming Declaration.

• The signed declaration will be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, and the United Nations Environment Assembly at the second part of the ongoing session in Kunming, China from 25 April-8 May 2022.

Background

• UN Biodiversity Conference began on October 11, 2021 and will conclude on October 24. 
• It was originally scheduled to take place from 15-28 October 2020 in Kunming, China but was postponed several times due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The declaration stated

• Putting biodiversity on a path to recovery is a defining challenge of this decade, in the context of the UN Decade of Action for Sustainable Development, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. 
• It requires strong political momentum to develop, adopt and implement an ambitious and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework that promotes the three objectives of the Convention in a balanced manner.

About the declaration

• By adopting this, the nations have committed themselves to support the development, adoption and implementation of an effective post-2020 implementation plan, capacity building action plan for the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety.
• It calls upon the parties to “mainstream” biodiversity protection in decision-making and recognise the importance of conservation in protecting human health.
• The theme of the declaration is Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth.
• As per this, Signatory nations will ensure that the post-pandemic recovery policies, programmes and plans contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.

Key Importance

• The adoption of the declaration will create momentum for a new global biodiversity pact.
• It is a reflection of the political will of all parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
• As per this, parties have demonstrated their commitment to accelerate development and update of the strategy document National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.