CBD chief likens biodiversity negotiations to Armenian Kochari, calls for countries to move in unison
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Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), compared international cooperation in biodiversity negotiations to the Armenian Kochari, in which dancers move together to a shared rhythm, during a high-level meeting held as part of COP17.
“Like the Armenian Kochari, where people join hands and find a common rhythm, each dancer has their place and takes their own steps, but the dance only works when everyone moves together. That is the spirit we need in these negotiations,” Schomaker said.
According to Schomaker, countries participate in the negotiations with different national circumstances, commitments and priorities. However, reaching an agreement does not require all countries to take the same steps; what is needed is to find a common rhythm and move forward together.
She noted that four years ago in Montreal, countries agreed on the historic goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.
“The world pays twice when public funds are directed toward financing activities that harm nature and later has to pay for the consequences of degraded land, polluted water and the loss of ecosystem resilience. Healthy ecosystems are the foundation of people’s livelihoods. More funding for nature is needed, but at the same time, existing funding must serve nature conservation,” she said.
According to the CBD Executive Secretary, the negotiations have entered a decisive phase, and difficult political issues remain that require leadership to resolve.
“The decisions taken in Yerevan must reflect the scale of the challenges we face and the opportunities being created. Let us leave Yerevan with decisions on paper and with a different approach to nature conservation and financing,” she added.