On the 21st local time, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (hereinafter referred to as the Convention), the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the 5th Conference of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol opened in Cali, Colombia. Huang Runqiu, President of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP15) and Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech, officially handing over the presidency to Susanna Mohammed, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia. The theme of COP16 conference is "Peaceful Coexistence with Nature". Huang Runqiu pointed out at the opening ceremony that biodiversity is the foundation for human survival and development, and the bloodline and foundation of the Earth's community of life. Faced with the severe situation of biodiversity loss, COP15 has achieved milestone achievements such as the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (hereinafter referred to as the "Kunming Montreal Framework"), opening a new chapter in the global biodiversity conservation cause. COP16, as the first Conference of the Parties after the implementation of the "Kunmon Framework", will jointly review the progress of the implementation of the "Kunmon Framework", diagnose possible problems and challenges, propose forward-looking solutions, and draw a clearer and more feasible action blueprint for the achievement of subsequent goals. On the 20th, Huang Runqiu attended the high-level ceremonial opening event of COP16 and delivered a speech, saying that as the chair of COP15, China has always promoted the global biodiversity conservation process with the highest political will and strongest practical actions, together with the international community. On the 20th, Huang Runqiu also held trilateral talks with Mohammed and Shoemaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention Secretariat, to exchange views on how to implement the "Kunming Framework" and promote the success of COP16. After the meeting, Huang Runqiu and Mohammed jointly signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Ecological Environment Cooperation between the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Colombia. On October 21st, in Cali, Colombia, Huang Runqiu (fourth from left), the President of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, and Susanna Mohammed (fourth from right), the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, took over the responsibilities of the President. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Muzi