Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu (C) speaks at a press conference on the Kunming Biodiversity Fund in Cali, Colombia, on Oct. 24, 2024. The Executive Council of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund held a plenary meeting on Thursday to review and approve nine small projects, during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

CALI, Colombia, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Executive Council of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund held a plenary meeting on Thursday to review and approve nine small projects, during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia.

These projects cover 15 countries, including one project in Central and Eastern Europe, four in the Asia-Pacific region, two in Africa and two in Latin America.

The fund, for which China was a leading founder, will respond to the needs of developing countries and implement a number of projects to help developing countries implement the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, starting with the key goals including ecosystem restoration and protection, sustainable use of biodiversity, and prevention and control of invasive alien species, said Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu at COP16.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) appreciates the contributions made by China, which has done an extraordinary job on the agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, according to Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

In 2021, China pledged 1.5 billion yuan (about 210 million U.S. dollars) for the establishment of the fund to support biodiversity conservation in developing countries.

COP16, which is expected to gather more than 12,000 participants, is held in the Colombian city of Cali from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. ■

Chinese Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu (2nd L) and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme Inger Andersen (2nd R) attend a press conference during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia, Oct. 24, 2024.

The Executive Council of the Kunming Biodiversity Fund held a plenary meeting on Thursday to review and approve nine small projects, during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)