By Abdullahi Lukman
The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has urged governments to accelerate efforts to protect and restore biodiversity, warning that global progress towards achieving the 2030 conservation targets remains insufficient.
Andersen made the call at the conclusion of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, where participating countries adopted several decisions aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
She stressed that governments must move beyond international commitments and translate the agreements into practical actions, noting that the future of biodiversity protection depends on stronger implementation at national and international levels.
One of the major outcomes of the conference was the adoption of the Global Review of collective progress under the KMGBF, which acknowledged that efforts to achieve several biodiversity targets were falling behind schedule.
The review called for intensified action by governments and other stakeholders to address the gaps and accelerate progress towards the framework’s objectives.
Andersen also highlighted agreements reached on digital sequence information (DSI), traditional knowledge, innovations and practices under Article 8(j) of the Convention, as well as resource mobilisation, describing them as important steps towards advancing global biodiversity commitments.
She emphasised that environmental protection was closely linked to economic stability, arguing that healthy ecosystems were essential for sustaining livelihoods, strengthening national economies and improving resilience.
The UNEP chief consequently called for increased efforts to redirect financial resources away from activities that harm nature towards investments that support biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration.
She noted that the Kunming-Montreal framework requires countries to address financial incentives that contribute to biodiversity loss through their elimination, reduction or reform.
Andersen also drew attention to progress in ecosystem restoration, revealing that 252 million hectares of land across 149 countries were undergoing restoration, creating more than one million green jobs.
She described the development as evidence of the environmental and economic benefits of investing in nature restoration.
However, she cautioned that the success of COP17 would ultimately be determined by how effectively governments implement the decisions reached during the conference.
According to her, sustained political commitment, adequate financing and practical interventions would be necessary to strengthen economic resilience, protect ecosystems and preserve natural resources.
Andersen commended the Armenian Presidency of COP17 for its leadership and efforts in facilitating negotiations and securing agreements among participating countries.
She also expressed appreciation to Armenia for hosting delegates from across the world and providing a platform for international cooperation on biodiversity protection.
The conference outcomes come as countries face increasing pressure to meet the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, which contains 23 targets for 2030 and four long-term goals for 2050.
The framework seeks to halt and reverse biodiversity loss through measures such as conserving land and marine areas, restoring degraded ecosystems, promoting sustainable natural resource management and increasing funding for conservation.
With the adoption of the Global Review and other decisions at COP17, governments are expected to strengthen national policies, mobilise additional resources and demonstrate measurable progress towards meeting the 2030 biodiversity targets.
