Montreal, Mar 19 (IANS): After a year of delay owing to the pandemic, the UN Biodiversity Conference on Friday announced that its summit, comprising the Conference of the Parties (COP), to take place now from October 11 to 24 in Kunming in Yunnan Province of China.

The meeting is expected to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, crucial for building resilience and galvanizing international cooperation in face of growing environmental, health and development challenges.

The three meetings that comprise the 2021 UN Biodiversity Conference -- the 15th meeting of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the 10th meeting of the COP serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, were originally scheduled to be held in October 2020.

The dates were later changed to May 2021 but have been adjusted to reflect the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema said, "The secretariat remains committed to ensuring the successful and timely preparation of COP-15 and the concurrent meetings of the Parties to the Protocols, while also ensuring the safety of all participants in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic."

The Convention's Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, which also serves as the Bureau for the concurrent Meetings of the Parties to the two Protocols, considered and approved the revised meeting dates following consultations between the CBD Secretariat and the Chinese government.

The lead up to the conference and meetings in Kunming provides the global community with further opportunities to galvanize efforts at all levels to build a better future in harmony with nature, and to continue efforts to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

The CBD secretariat will continue to monitor further developments regarding the ongoing uncertainties caused by the pandemic and announce any further changes that may become necessary.