Coming together to advance global biodiversity action - for nature, people and planet
By Anna Aghadjanian, Ambassador of Armenia to the Nordic countries This article was published in Mundus News Denmark, Mundus News Finland, Mundus News Norway and Mundus News Sweden.
For Armenia, hosting the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) goes far beyond an international environmental conference. Biodiversity agenda has long ceased to be merely an environmental issue and is directly linked to food and water security, public health, climate change, economic development, poverty eradication, international financial flows and sustainable development as a whole.
Armenia has sought to make its two-year Presidency responsible, inclusive and transparent, consistently engaging with all regional groups, countries with different negotiating positions, as well as international organisations and other stakeholders.
Biodiversity is not just richness of nature. It is a foundation of our lives, it is about sustainable development, the well-being of future generations. Over the past decades we have come to realise how much the state of our nature directly impacts human life, and how the disruption of ecosystems can impair the life of our societies. With this realisation came the understanding of the need of bringing together scientific foundation, political will, international cooperation, and broad public engagement.
Armenia, too, assumes its responsibility in this collective endeavour. Our natural heritage, from Lake Sevan to our forest and mountain ecosystems, serves as a reminder that the conservation of nature demands continuous effort, responsible management, and long-term thinking.
COP 17, events and documents
The events spread over two October weeks, covered a broad range of topics, including education, food security, the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, health, nature and culture, business and biodiversity, and this is by no means an exhaustive list.
The first Biodiversity Leaders’ Summit adopted the Acting for Nature Yerevan Declaration, setting out political priorities for achieving global goals of the biodiversity conservation agenda, expressing their determination to translate commitments at all levels into measurable action and lasting results. The Declaration underscored the importance of ensuring clear and results-oriented work throughout the Conference, with a view to accelerating progress towards achieving the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
The Business and Biodiversity Forum focused on the interconnection between business and the advancement of the biodiversity agenda.
COP17 adopted a Yerevan Pathway initiative, which outlines the next steps for implementing the KMGBF. It sets out priorities for collective action through 2030, from implementing national plans and mobilising financial resources to strengthening science, monitoring and the participation of all sectors of society. The steps include tackling nature-harmful subsidies and incentives, increasing financial, scientific and technical support for developing countries, aligning national budgets and economic decisions with the KMGBF, and strengthening implementation, monitoring, reporting and review mechanisms.
In a significant outcome following intensive negotiations, Parties agreed on the rules of operation for the new permanent subsidiary body on Article 8(j). Aptly named the Sevan Guidelines, they mark a major step in strengthening the role, participation and traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in shaping global biodiversity policy and action.
As the country holding the Presidency, Armenia put forward 4 initiatives:
Establishment of a technological hub for biodiversity monitoring,
Yerevan Platform for Mountain and Related Freshwater Ecosystems,
Global Action Hub for Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) outside protected areas,
Yerevan Call for Positive Economic and Financial Incentives for Biodiversity.
Our message was clear: the conservation of biodiversity must remain a priority on the political agenda, and the commitments undertaken must be translated into concrete actions and tangible results.
Budget and financing
Financing gaps, harmful incentives, limited access to technology, data and knowledge, and insufficient engagement across government and society remain major obstacles along the pathway to implementation. The Conference saw decisions, commitments and initiatives to help address these barriers, including a new emphasis on biodiversity education. COP17 adopted the integrated program of work and budget for 2027/2028, approving a core budget of nearly USD 32mln for 2027/28.
Parties announced nearly USD 2billion in additional biodiversity funding through specialised funds and programs.
Ultimately, the success of COP17 will not be measured solely by the decisions adopted in Yerevan, but by how effectively they are translated into national policies, investment decisions and practical action on the ground. The real work begins with implementation.
The Presidency has worked in close coordination with the widest possible range of stakeholders. The cooperation and strong support of our Nordic partners through numerous bilateral and multilateral programs and projects remains truly invaluable. Multi-year, Norad-funded program led by the Fridtjof Nansen Institute has provided wide-range of trainings, capacity-building, negotiation preparation for the Presidency and supports implementing National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. The Nordic Pavilion in the COP17 Blue Zone attracted broad participation of public and private institutions and further strengthened Armenia-Nordic countries cooperation through discussion and development of new ideas and initiatives, including nature-based solutions for Armenia in wetland restoration, waste management and more green jobs.
COP17 transformed the already vibrant Yerevan into a buzzing hub of discussions, negotiations and cooperation. As we look back, these two statements from the concluding day are perhaps the best summary:
‘In Yerevan, we saw environmental multilateralism prevail once again,’ Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UNEP.
‘Over these two weeks we have demonstrated that differences can be bridged, commitments can become decisions and cooperation can deliver,’ COP17 President Hambardzum Matevosyan.
