In 2021, from protecting the ecological environment, combating climate change to exploring the road of economic recovery, many important international conferences on different themes will be held one after another. What are the highlights of each of them?
Convention on Biological Diversity Conference: New Framework for Co-Conversity Governance
The fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, originally scheduled to be held in Kunming in 2020, was postponed to May 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The theme of the conference is “Ecological Civilization: Building a Community of Earth Life”.
Signed in June 1992, the Convention on Biological Diversity currently has 196 parties, making it one of the most influential international conventions in the field of the living resources of the earth.
The Conference of the Parties to Kunming will review the “Global Biodiversity Framework beyond 2020”, set a new goal for global biodiversity by 2030, and strive to achieve the beautiful vision of “harmonious coexistence between man and nature”.
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting: Discuss the “Great Reconstruction” after the epidemic
The Geneva-based World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos in January.
In 2021, affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, the 51st annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will be held in Singapore in May.
The theme of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in 2021 is “Great Reconstruction”.
During the annual meeting, leaders from governments, businesses and civil society will discuss the global economic recovery in the post-epidemic era and find the solutions needed to meet the most pressing challenges in the world.
G20 Summit: Focus on “People, Planets, Prosperity”
The Sixteenth Summit of the Leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) will be held in Rome, Italy, from 30 to 31 October 2021.
The Italian side identified three key words for the summit: “People, planets, prosperity.”
Founded in 1999, the G20 consists of major developed and emerging market economies.
It accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s population, about 86% of the world’s GDP and about 75% of the world’s trade volume.
The G20 now plays a pivotal role in global affairs and has become an important multilateral mechanism to jointly respond to global problems.
As the rotating presidency of the G20, Italy said that the meeting will focus on how to strengthen cooperation in the fields of health and environmental protection to better protect mankind and our planet, and how to seize the opportunities presented by the digital revolution to work to bridge the “digital divide” and achieve a strong, inclusive and sustainable economic recovery.
United Nations Climate Change Conference: Resolve differences and seek consensus
Due to the epidemic, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Glasgow, England, in November 2020, has been postponed to November 2021.
The outcome of the negotiations on issues related to the new Climate Conference has attracted much attention as the failure of the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Madrid, Spain, in December 2019 to reach consensus on the implementation rules of Article VI of the Paris Agreement.
At the same time, resolving the differences between developed and developing countries on issues such as emission reduction responsibilities and financial arrangements, maintaining the rapid growth of green industry investment in various countries, and building a global climate governance system will also be an important focus of the conference.
Munich Security Conference: “The lack of the West” is intensifying
The organizers of the Munich Security Conference announced on December 8, 2020 that the ongoing epidemic prevented the 57th Mu’an Conference from February 19 to 21, 2021 as originally planned, and that the organizers would announce a new session after consultation with the parties.
Wolfgang Ischengel, chairman of the Mu’an Council, said that there was no alternative to postpone the meeting.
The Munich Security Conference began in 1963 and is one of the important annual forums in the field of international strategy and security.
The conference is located in the southern German city of Munich.
The 56th Mu’an Conference held in February 2020 focused on the “Western Missing” and highlighted the reality of deepening rifts within the Western camp and declining international influence.
Special Session of the WTO General Council: New Director-General to be confirmed
On August 31, 2020, Azevedo, the sixth Director-General of the World Trade Organization, officially left office, ending his term one year earlier.
According to WTO rules, the appointment of new directors-general is usually by consensus of members, that is, with the consent of all 164 members, the WTO General Council decides.
On November 6, 2020, the President of the General Council of the WTO, David Walker, said that due to the epidemic and other factors, WTO members could not make a formal decision on the new Director-General on November 9, so they postponed the extraordinary meeting of the General Council, which was originally scheduled for 9.
Walker also said that he would continue to consult with WTO members on the new Director-General.
