The UN headquarter in NYC. (Photo: Agencies)

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been rescheduled to take place from May 17 to 30, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said Tuesday.

The event under the aegis of United Nations was originally scheduled to be held from Oct. 15 to 28 in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, with the theme -- "Ecological Civilization: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."

The new schedule has been approved by the State Council, China's cabinet, said Liu Youbin at a press conference.

To be held concurrently are the meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the meeting of the parties to the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit-sharing, he added.

China will continue working closely with the CBD Secretariat to ensure a successful conference, he said.