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The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) will bring together representatives of countries and international organizations, scientists and other stakeholders in Yerevan on October 19–30 to assess global progress toward biodiversity targets, address gaps in conservation financing and discuss steps to accelerate efforts to protect and restore nature by 2030.
The Convention’s Secretariat said countries will discuss how much progress has been made in implementing agreed measures to conserve and restore nature by 2030, where implementation is lagging, and how to address gaps in financing, knowledge and practical capacity.
The 12th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the 6th meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing will be held concurrently with COP17. A Leaders’ Summit, ministerial discussions, scientific and business forums, and events open to the public are also planned.
What is biodiversity, and how does it affect our daily lives?
Biodiversity is the variety of life, encompassing plants, animals, microorganisms, genetic differences within species, and the natural environments in which they live. These environments—forests, rivers, lakes, grasslands and seas—together with living organisms form ecosystems.
Biodiversity is directly connected to people’s food, water, health and safety. Soil fertility, plant pollination, the regulation of water and air, and numerous processes that protect people from natural hazards depend on nature conservation. For example, agriculture relies on cultivated plants, the organisms that pollinate them, and healthy soil.
The conference discussions therefore also concern how to preserve the natural conditions people depend on while allowing economic activity to continue.
What is COP17, and who will make the decisions?
COP is short for Conference of the Parties. The number 17 indicates that this is the 17th meeting. The Conference of the Parties is the Convention’s governing body, where Parties adopt decisions on its implementation. Ordinary meetings are held every two years.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has three main objectives: conserving biodiversity, using biological resources sustainably, and sharing fairly the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
The Convention has 196 Parties, including the European Union. Armenia has been a Party since December 29, 1993. Formal negotiations and decisions are conducted by delegations representing the Parties. Scientists, non-governmental organizations, businesses and community representatives also participate in the process in their respective capacities.
How is the Yerevan conference different from a climate COP?
COP17 in Yerevan focuses on biodiversity—the living world and its conservation. Climate conferences are held under a different treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Their main issues include greenhouse gas emissions, limiting climate change and adapting to its consequences.
The two processes are interconnected: climate change affects nature, while healthy ecosystems can help people withstand climate-related hazards. These links will also be discussed in Yerevan.
When will the main meetings take place?
On October 16, Yerevan is scheduled to host the “Leaders for Nature” Summit. It is intended to secure the support of heads of state and government and other participants for practical action to conserve nature.
According to the provisional programme published by the Convention’s Secretariat on September 14, the conference’s opening ceremony is scheduled for October 18, while the official working sessions will take place on October 19–30. The Ministerial High-Level Segment is scheduled for October 27–28.
Ministers are also expected to participate during the final stage of negotiations to help reach political agreement on issues where delegations may still hold differing positions. The schedule may be adjusted as the work proceeds.
What is the main issue?
The central focus of COP17 will be the first global review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Adopted in 2022, the framework is a plan agreed upon by countries to halt biodiversity loss and put nature on a path to recovery.
The main questions for the review are what work has already been done, what results it has produced, where progress toward the targets is lagging, and what additional steps are needed. The means of implementation will also be discussed, including funding, expertise, technologies and data.
An explanatory statement published on the conference’s official website says: “This is not just a report; it is an opportunity to assess where we are today and what steps are needed to secure nature for tomorrow.”
What targets have been adopted, and why is 2030 important?
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted in 2022 at COP15. It includes four long-term goals to be achieved by 2050 and 23 targets to be met by 2030.
The long-term goals cover the conservation and restoration of nature, the sustainable use of natural resources, the fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources, and securing the means necessary to achieve these objectives.
The 2030 targets set out more specific actions, ranging from conserving areas and reducing pollution to mobilizing financing, promoting responsible consumption and ensuring public participation in decision-making. In 2026, countries are focused on how to accelerate implementation during the remaining years.
What do the data published so far show?
According to a statement published by the Convention’s Secretariat in August, work is underway toward all 23 targets, but the overall pace and scale of implementation remain insufficient. Progress has been made in some areas of conservation, while action on financing, reforming harmful subsidies and inclusive governance is lagging.
The same statement notes that fewer than half of the national targets assessed by countries as aligned with the global framework are currently on track. This does not mean that every country has the same results; it refers to the overall picture across the national targets assessed.
In Yerevan, countries will also discuss ways to accelerate progress. Following preparatory negotiations in Nairobi, differing positions on this issue remain.
What information will be used to assess progress?
The main basis for the assessment will be countries’ national reports and the global report. National reports describe the measures implemented, how they relate to the overall targets, and the challenges countries have encountered.
The global report brings together this information, national plans, scientific assessments and other knowledge and data. It examines all 23 targets, helping identify both overall trends and problems in individual areas.
For example, information about the establishment of a protected area is not enough on its own; it is also important to know how the area is managed and what impact it has on nature. Overall indicators should help provide a clearer understanding of results across different countries.
What does conserving 30% of land and sea mean?
One of the key targets agreed upon for 2030 is to ensure the effective conservation and management of at least 30% of terrestrial and inland water areas, as well as marine and coastal areas. It is often referred to as “30 by 30”—30% by 2030.
Both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures can contribute to this goal. What matters is the actual condition of these areas, the quality of their management, connectivity between natural habitats, and respect for people’s rights.
The conference is expected to discuss updating the programme of work on protected areas. This also concerns how to ensure that conservation delivers practical results by protecting species and their habitats.
What is planned for degraded natural environments?
Another key target is to ensure that effective restoration measures are underway on at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, marine and coastal ecosystems by 2030.
This refers to the proportion of degraded areas where effective restoration should be underway. It does not mean that all these areas will have been fully restored by 2030.
Restoration measures may vary depending on the problems affecting a particular area. For example, it may be necessary to restore natural vegetation, reinstate water flows or reduce harmful pressures. The same action will not produce the same results everywhere; solutions must be appropriate to the ecosystem concerned.
Separate targets also provide for measures to protect threatened species, conserve genetic diversity, and improve coexistence between people and wildlife.
Where will the funding for nature conservation come from?
Financing is one of the main areas of negotiation. The global framework aims to mobilize at least $200 billion annually from all sources for biodiversity by 2030. This includes public and private, domestic and international financing.
As part of this effort, international financial flows to developing countries and countries with economies in transition are to reach at least $30 billion annually by 2030. The previous interim target was at least $20 billion annually by 2025.
At COP17, discussions will focus on mobilizing resources and the financial mechanism, including how to support programmes and make the necessary funding available. The $200 billion figure is a global annual target.
What are the Cartagena and Nagoya protocols?
Two meetings of the Parties to protocols under the Convention will take place alongside the biodiversity conference in Yerevan. They are related to the main theme but address their own specific issues and decisions.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety concerns the safe movement and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology, as well as the associated risks. Its objective is to protect biodiversity from potential harm by ensuring that countries have the necessary information and the capacity to assess and manage risks.
The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing concerns access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization. For example, if a plant’s genetic resources from a particular country are used for research, the parties concerned may agree on conditions for sharing the resulting benefits. These may include monetary payments, the transfer of research results or other agreed forms of support.
Climate change and human health
COP17 will discuss how to align nature conservation with action on climate change. The proposals prepared for the conference concern ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation and disaster risk reduction. This means using nature’s protective capacities through appropriate conservation and restoration measures.
Social and environmental safeguards are also important in this work: programmes must take into account their potential impacts on local communities and natural environments.
The health segment is expected to address the implementation of programmes that take account of the links between nature and health, as well as indicators for measuring progress. The draft prepared for the conference also includes the “One Health” approach, which views human, animal and environmental health as interconnected.
Science, new technologies and synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is also on the conference agenda. Broadly speaking, this field involves technologies for designing or modifying biological systems. Within the framework of the Convention, attention is focused on the potential of these technologies, their impacts and the available knowledge about them.
Preparatory discussions have advanced a thematic programme on capacity-building, access to technologies and knowledge exchange. This is particularly important for countries with more limited opportunities to study and use such technologies.
A Biodiversity Technology and Innovation Expo is scheduled to take place in the Blue Zone from October 19–30. It will provide an opportunity to present tools for nature conservation and sustainable use, and to build connections among government, scientific, civil society and private-sector organizations.
What roles do businesses and financial institutions play?
Under the biodiversity framework, large companies, transnational enterprises and financial institutions are expected to regularly monitor and disclose their dependencies and impacts on nature, as well as related risks, within the framework of national legal and policy measures.
For example, a company may depend on clean water or natural raw materials, while its activities may also affect those same resources. Assessing these links should help reduce harm and support more responsible decision-making.
Integrating biodiversity into economic sectors is a separate area of discussion in Yerevan. The aim is to ensure that the state of nature is also taken into account in decisions concerning production, financing and other sectors.
Where will the negotiations take place, and how will the public participate?
The conference will have two main areas: the Blue Zone and the Green Zone.
The Blue Zone will be located at the Meridian Expo and Event Centre. Official negotiations, plenary and working sessions, ministerial meetings and discussions of draft decisions will take place there. Access is intended for accredited delegations, observers, experts and journalists.
The Green Zone will be located at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex. It will be open to the public, including young people, non-governmental organizations, scientific communities, artists, innovators and all interested citizens.
Exhibitions, technology presentations, community discussions, film screenings, cultural programmes and meetings with scientists and experts are planned. Admission will be free, although some events may require advance registration because of limited capacity.
What does Armenia intend to advance?
The theme of Armenia’s COP17 presidency is “Taking Action for Nature.” Armenia’s approach is aimed at the practical implementation of commitments and open, transparent and inclusive negotiations.
Armenian Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan will assume the COP17 presidency. According to the work programme, the host country’s representative is scheduled to be formally elected at the opening of the conference’s working sessions.
According to an official statement issued on September 11, Armenia’s priority areas include expanding positive incentives for environmental protection, exchanging experience on other effective area-based conservation measures, monitoring biodiversity using new technologies, and international cooperation on the conservation of mountain and freshwater ecosystems.
What significance could hosting the conference have for Armenia?
Hosting the conference gives Armenia an opportunity to present its environmental challenges and programmes, cooperate with international partners, and participate in agreeing on the direction of future work. The COP17 conference in Yerevan is expected to attract 10,000–15,000 participants. The event could also provide an additional boost to tourism and private-sector service providers.
What outcomes are expected from COP17?
One of the expected outcomes of COP17 is the adoption of the political declaration “Yerevan Call for Action” at the Leaders’ Summit. It is intended to reaffirm the role of biodiversity in sustainable development, food security, climate resilience and well-being.
The Yerevan conference is also expected to produce practical agreements to accelerate nature conservation efforts. These should contribute to achieving the global targets set for 2030 and strengthening international cooperation.