Government allocates additional funding as COP17 set to be Armenia’s largest-ever event

The Armenian government has allocated an additional AMD 2.64 billion ($7.24 million) from the reserve fund to the Ministry of Environment for organizing and hosting the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan highlighted that Armenia will host and preside over COP17.

He noted that representatives from the 196 countries that are parties to the convention, as well as tens of thousands of participants from around the world, are expected to attend.

“By hosting and presiding over COP17, we will also become one of the centers of global decision-making,” Matevosyan said.

He said preparations are in full swing.

COP17 will be preceded by a Leaders’ Summit, which will bring together heads of state and government, as well as leaders of international organizations.

The summit is expected to adopt the “Yerevan Declaration for the Preservation of Life on Earth.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia has never hosted an event of this scale before.

“There will be a very significant influx of tourists, and this is a great opportunity for our private sector—first to provide services and then to promote those services. People who visit Armenia once often return and also recommend Armenia to others,” Pashinyan said.

He noted that the organizational costs of the event are being financed from the state budget, while major investments have been directed toward the private sector. According to him, significant investment has also been made in the Meridian Center, the venue for the meeting, resulting in an eight-year service agreement being signed with the center.

“We sometimes face difficulties when organizing events, and this investment addresses that issue. It is very important for us to have infrastructure that meets international standards,” Pashinyan added.

The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Yerevan from October 19 to 30, 2026.