Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

UN Chief Stresses Need to Act Urgently to Protect Biodiversity


Sun 22 May 2022 | 11:23 AM
Ahmad El-Assasy

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the world needs to act urgently to protect biopersity, the web of life that connects and supports us all.

In his speech on the International Day for Biological Diversity, Guterres said: "To achieve a sustainable future for all, we need to act urgently to protect biopersity, the web of life that connects and supports us all. We must end our senseless and destructive war against nature. The rate of species loss is tens to hundreds of times higher than the average of the past 10 million years – and accelerating."

He added: "Biopersity is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, ending the existential threat of climate change, halting land degradation, building food security and supporting advances in human health. And biopersity offers ready solutions for green and inclusive growth."

"This year governments will meet to agree on a post-2020 global biopersity framework, with clear and measurable targets and robust means of implementation that can put biopersity on the path to recovery by 2030."

Guterres explained: "The framework must tackle the drivers of biopersity loss and enable the ambitious and transformative change needed for living in harmony with nature by effectively protecting more of the world’s land, freshwater and oceans, encouraging sustainable consumption and production, employing nature-based solutions to address climate change and ending harmful subsidies that damage the environment. It should mobilize action and financial resources to drive concrete nature-positive investments, ensuring that we all benefit from the pidends of biological persity."

He stated: "As we accomplish these goals and implement the 2050 Vision for “living in harmony with nature”, we must act with respect for equity and human rights, particularly with regard to the many indigenous populations whose territories harbor so much biological persity."

The UN Secretary-general noted: "To save our planet’s indispensable and fragile natural wealth, everyone needs to be engaged, including youth and vulnerable populations who rely the most on nature for their livelihoods. Today, I call on all to act to build a shared future for all life."