CALI, Colombia, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) opened in Colombia's southwestern city of Cali on Monday, with Colombia taking over the rotating presidency from China.

At the opening ceremony, Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu congratulated Colombia on hosting COP16, which brings together delegations from 196 countries.

Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad thanked her Chinese counterpart for his support and presented the Colombian Biodiversity Action Plan, whose goal is to contribute to the protection and conservation of nature in the lead-up to 2030 in keeping with the 23 goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Muhamad said the Colombian government will mobilize all sectors to promote a transformation in lifestyle, especially in the economy, to try to ensure that nature does not continue to be a victim of human actions.

"The Colombian government has allowed us to meet here and forge this coalition of the willing, a coalition to make peace with nature as a fundamental strategic purpose. We have to work together on the basis of principles and, to do so, we have to be fully transparent," she said.

She also stressed the importance of expanding the participation of indigenous peoples in the COP16 negotiations and valuing their knowledge in the task of protecting the planet.

COP16, which officially began on Monday, is expected to gather more than 12,000 participants through Nov. 1. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)