World has failed to meet nature protection commitments: Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said the world has failed to fulfil the pledges it made to protect nature.

He made the remarks on Thursday while releasing a progress report ahead of next week's global biodiversity summit.

Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Armenia, Secretary-General Guterres said the report shows that many key aspects of progress have still not been implemented. He also said the war against nature is far from over.

Four years ago, a landmark agreement was reached to halt and reverse nature destruction by 2030. Nearly 200 nations are gathering in Yerevan on Monday for UN biodiversity talks.

The agreement, known as the 'Paris Agreement for Nature,' sets 23 targets. Key among them are reducing pollution, protecting endangered species and conserving about 30 percent of the world's land and oceans.