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Ahead of COP17 to be held in Yerevan in October, a National Dialogue on Gender Equality, Biodiversity and COP17 was held on September 29, focusing on advancing gender-responsive biodiversity management in Armenia.
The event was attended by senior representatives of Armenian government agencies, as well as representatives of women-led NGOs operating in communities, biodiversity-dependent communities, academic and research institutions, and international organizations.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Robert Abisoghomonyan said that Armenia’s approaches and priorities for COP17 have from the outset been anchored in the principles of genuine inclusiveness and transparency.
“Armenia is a country with rich and unique biodiversity resources. Our undisturbed connection with nature has been reflected for centuries in our culture, folk art, and the lives of many communities. Women play a crucial role in preserving it and passing traditional knowledge on to future generations. Rights-based approaches, equality between women and men, and the significant participation of women in all areas of public life are among our government’s key priorities. In this regard, Armenia has made significant progress in recent years. Our country is also taking active steps to address gender equality issues on multilateral international platforms,” Abisoghomonyan said.
COP17, he said, is also about the issues and achievements of people and communities. According to him, over the past year, Armenian civil society has had a number of new opportunities to further strengthen its ties with international networks.
“The issue of the rights of women and girls and gender equality will also occupy an important place during the COP17 conference to be held in Armenia. The Armenian chapter of the Women’s Caucus of the Convention on Biological Diversity, together with the Armenian COP presidency and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, will organize a women’s forum as part of the aforementioned conference. Today’s national dialogue will also provide an opportunity to identify, from different perspectives, a common vision aimed at the imperative of biodiversity conservation,” the Deputy FM said.
Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meymaryan, in his remarks, placed particular importance on the role of women in environmental protection.
“At the same time, women and children are the most vulnerable groups, which are most affected by climate change and biodiversity loss. Given the specifics of our country, where seasonal labor migration plays a very large role in our activities, women bear a considerable burden. It is very important that women have a role in decision-making. By attaching importance to this circumstance, we can only have more resilient communities. Within the framework of COP17, it is very important for us that this fact be emphasized and make an important contribution to Armenia’s further development, and that women’s opportunities to make decisions in particular be expanded,” Meymaryan said.
He said it is no coincidence that women activists play the greatest role in protecting nature and developing biodiversity, because they are the first to bear responsibility for future generations.
Deputy Minister of Labor and Welfare Roza Babayan noted the importance of bringing biodiversity conservation, climate and environmental challenges, and gender issues onto one platform, which makes it possible to discuss important issues while also finding possible solutions.
“In the context of gender and environmental policy, our goal is not only to find the possible balance so that everyone can exercise their rights, but also to find possible ways to empower the economy through gender-sensitive policy. This approach is in line with the 2023-2030 Gender Action Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is also in line with the strategic document for the implementation of gender policy adopted in Armenia for 2025-2028, where one of the six areas is specifically the implementation of gender-sensitive policy as a result of climate change,” Babayan said.
According to her, the reforms being implemented in the labor sector outline balanced actions that will enable men and women to benefit equally from all opportunities.
Klas Waldenström, the Head of Development Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden in Armenia, said that COP17 demonstrates how gender equality and human rights are being integrated into biodiversity management in Armenia.
“Gender and biodiversity are no longer only about women, but about rights, resources, and power. On behalf of the Government of Sweden, we hope that this dialogue will lead to the definition of practical priorities and the strengthening of partnerships, as well as help find ways for civil society and communities to continue contributing to biodiversity management after COP17 as well,” Waldenström said.
UN Women Country Representative in Georgia and Liaison Officer for the South Caucasus Kaori Ishikawa noted that the key question is how women can have an equal role in decision-making on the management of natural resources and biodiversity conservation.
“Armenia has already outlined its national biodiversity targets, focusing on the interconnected challenges related to gender equality and sustainable livelihoods. Ahead of COP17, we need to explore biodiversity issues and ways to make women’s leadership more accountable in this context. Armenia is preparing for COP17, so there is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between development partners and the United Nations,” Ishikawa said.
Amelia Prado, Coordinator of the CBD Women's Caucus, noted that, having been part of the process for many years, women have almost always worked from one COP to the next and made decisions, which is revolutionary progress for civil society and environmental NGOs.
“We have been working on joint programs for a decade already, so COP should be viewed as one stage of a roadmap. I want to assure you that our group is ready to establish partnerships, continuing the cooperation that has developed during the preparations for COP,” Amelia Prado said.
Armenia is the incoming president and host of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity.