On October 11, the Fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (abbreviated as COP15) kicked off in Kunming. On the same day, the first-issue ceremony of COP15 commemorative stamp, sponsored by the organizing committee of COP15, State Post Bureau and China Post Group Corporation Limited, and organized by Yunnan Postal Branch, was held in Kunming.

It is said that Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted at the UN Conference on the Environment and Development in 1992, has become one of the most influential conventions on international environment in the course of the UN environment and development, and has played an important role in promoting the protection, sustainable exploitation and benefit-sharing of global biodiversity. The first phase of COP15 took place in Kunming from October 11 to 15.

The COP15 commemorative stamp, one piece in a set, takes the logo of the conference and its auxiliary graph as the main body. Its waterdrop-shaped perforations used in stamp design for the first time highlight the notion that water is the source of life and all creatures, which echoes the design of the COP15 logo. The whole picture is ingenious in its design and distinct in its theme. The set of the stamp was printed via the technique of one offset and engraving plate for two colors, the vertically engraved texture making the COP15 logo more stereoscopic. The golden sparry turquoise engraving ink, used for the first time, blinks under the sunshine, and the red, blue and white fluorescence integrates more thematic content into the picture of the stamp. 

Besides, the COP15 preparatory work leading group office of Yunnan Province joined hands with China National Philatelic Company Limited in the development and production of a stamp album named “Kingdom of Living Creatures, Beauty of Yunnan”. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary, inscribed on the album the words “The Stamp, issued by the hosts of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity capture the beauty and richness of biodiversity. They will help inspire the world to take action to transform our relationship with nature for humanity and the planet.”

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said in her speech at the first-issue ceremony of the COP15 commemorative stamp, “The album is exquisite in design, and the pictures show the beauty of biodiversity vividly. Such beauty is what our health, wealth and welfare rely on. While ensuring that we equally share the benefits from the exploitation of biodiversity resources, we should also be motivated to devote to the protection and sustainable exploitation of biodiversity. The album also reveals to us the reason why we need to work together to realize the vision of the Convention on Biological Diversity—‘harmonious co-existence between humanity and nature’.”