Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault speaks with reporters in Montreal following the conclusion of the 15th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15. Delegates adopted an agreement that includes four goals and 23 targets to achieve by 2030. Among the targets is the preservation of at least 30 per cent of land and marine areas. The global agreement was passed despite the objections from a number of African countries. Minister Guilbeault is joined by Huang Runqiu (China's ecology and environment minister and president of COP15), Inger Andersen (executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme) and David Cooper (deputy executive secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity). Thousands of delegates from 196 countries gathered in Montreal from December 6 to 19 to negotiate a new agreement on global biodiversity goals years and to develop an action plan for the next ten years.
