COP17 raised Armenia’s international standing and laid the groundwork for new partnerships, says Robert Abisoghomonyan

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), held in Yerevan, was unprecedented for Armenia in both scale and outcomes. The 49 decisions adopted at the conference, the outline of the Yerevan Pathway, the four initiatives presented by Armenia and new international partnerships have laid the groundwork for further cooperation on biodiversity conservation.

Speaking to Armenpress, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Robert Abisoghomonyan, discussed COP17’s main achievements, Armenia’s increased international standing, new funding opportunities and the country’s priorities for the next two years.

He said hosting COP17 was unprecedented for Armenia in both scope and substance. Some 14,000 participants received passes for the conference’s Blue Zone alone, while around 400 side events took place, including those organised by Armenia.

“The conference adopted 49 decisions, an unprecedented number in the history of biodiversity COPs. Of the 52 documents under consideration, 49 were adopted. Their substance is very important for future work and for the activities of the parties,” Abisoghomonyan said.

The deputy minister singled out the decision on the global review, which he said was also important for Armenia. Among other things, the decision outlined the Yerevan Pathway, which calls for work to continue over the next four years to meet the targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030.

“The decision on the global review was also noteworthy because it covered every target. Despite differences between the parties, we managed to bring them together in a single document, which was perhaps an unprecedented result,” he said.

Turning to the conference’s international significance, Abisoghomonyan said its success had helped raise Armenia’s international standing and visibility. He said that, two weeks after the conference ended, Armenia was still receiving congratulations and praise from various partners for both the organisation and the substance of the event.

He also highlighted the positive response in the international press, noting that international media had published numerous favourable reports on both COP17 and Armenia during and after the conference.

“Armenia raised its standing and visibility on the international stage, which will certainly help attract more tourists in future, among other benefits. Even after COP17 ended, many delegates, including representatives of the secretariat, stayed in Yerevan for another week or two to spend their holidays. This also helps raise Armenia’s profile,” he said.

Discussing the agreements reached at the conference and how they could be put into practice, Abisoghomonyan highlighted four initiatives presented by Armenia concerning the mountain agenda, the digitalisation of reporting, positive incentives and protected areas.

He said the initiatives had been undertaken with several international partners, including the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and would continue beyond the conference.

“Work has already begun to put these initiatives on an institutional footing, implement them and follow through on the agreements reached. We have already appointed points of contact who will continue working with international partners and stakeholders to carry out the initiatives,” Abisoghomonyan said.

Funding for biodiversity conservation programmes was another major focus of the conference. Abisoghomonyan said the results in this area were also unprecedented.

“Pledges of funding for biodiversity were made at COP17. In particular, nearly $2 billion will be provided to address biodiversity challenges worldwide,” he said.

The deputy minister said the new international partnerships also created opportunities to carry out new environmental programmes in Armenia and address the challenges facing the country.

Turning to Armenia’s priorities after COP17, Abisoghomonyan noted that, by hosting the conference, Armenia had assumed the presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. He said this was only the beginning of Armenia’s presidency and that the country would continue working actively with international partners over the next two years.

Discussing the development of a green economy and the involvement of the private sector, the deputy minister said one of Armenia’s four priorities concerned protected areas and offered scope to expand both protected and green spaces.

He said COP17 had also hosted nine mandated parallel events in addition to the side events. They covered a range of topics, including the links between business and biodiversity and between finance and biodiversity.

“These events also looked at what businesses can contribute to biodiversity and how biodiversity can contribute to business development. I think this is a very promising area. Over the next two years, Armenia will take into account the topics discussed at these events and the need to build on their outcomes,” Abisoghomonyan said.

The deputy minister said all four initiatives presented by Armenia would continue after the conference. COP17 had marked their launch, he said, and substantial work was still needed to put them into practice.

“The good news is that the launch of all four initiatives drew considerable interest. Many countries and international organisations were interested in the events and programmes and want to contribute and take part in putting them into practice,” he said.

Abisoghomonyan said that, in the current international climate, programmes of this scale required active participation from partners, since initiatives of this kind could not be carried out alone.

“I am pleased to say that we have already identified many partners across all four initiatives and have begun working with them. I think other countries and international organisations will also express interest in joining these initiatives and contributing to their implementation. This will certainly help address biodiversity challenges worldwide,” the deputy minister said.

Abisoghomonyan said Armenia should continue taking an active part in events of international and global significance and contributing to global efforts.