WWF reaction to new COP15 dates announcement

Commenting on the announcement that the COP15 UN biodiversity conference will now take place 5-17 December in Montreal, Canada, Guido Broekhoven, Head of Policy, Research and Development at WWF International, said:

“The announcement that COP15 will take place in Montreal from 5-17 December is highly welcome as it provides much-needed certainty. Confirmation of the new dates was essential ahead of the Nairobi round of negotiations to ensure countries have clarity on the timeline and maximum progress can be made.

“With the adoption of the new global biodiversity agreement postponed from 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the decision to move the COP to Montreal is sensible as it should avoid the risk of further delays. WWF stresses that the world is in the middle of an accelerating nature crisis and global action to reverse biodiversity loss cannot wait.

 "With today’s announcement, government negotiators meeting in Nairobi have no excuse not to get down to the task at hand. They need to deliver real progress this week to ensure an ambitious global biodiversity agreement arrives in Montreal in December for adoption.”