By Abbas Nazil
Governments gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) are under pressure to accelerate efforts to protect the world’s biodiversity, as fewer than half of national targets assessed under the global biodiversity framework are on track.
The conference, scheduled for 19 to 30 October 2026, will assess progress towards the global commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, identify implementation gaps and determine how countries can turn existing promises into measurable results.
The meeting comes at a critical midpoint in efforts to achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, which establishes 23 targets for 2030 and four long-term goals for 2050.
One of its most prominent commitments, known as “30 by 30”, seeks to conserve at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and marine areas by 2030.
However, progress remains insufficient, with gaps in financing, technical capacity, international cooperation and the data required to monitor biodiversity protection.
According to the United Nations, nearly 90 per cent of the 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity have established national biodiversity targets, while close to 60 per cent have developed national biodiversity strategies and action plans.
More than 70 per cent have also submitted national reports on their efforts.
Despite these developments, the level of ambition and implementation remains inadequate to achieve the framework’s objectives, raising concerns about whether countries can meet their commitments within the remaining four years.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for urgent action to end what he described as a “war on nature”, stressing that biodiversity loss threatens the natural systems upon which humanity depends.
Speaking at a leaders’ summit in Yerevan on Friday, Guterres described COP17 as an important opportunity for accountability, as countries assess their progress halfway to the 2030 deadline.
Key discussions at the conference will focus on the first global review of collective progress under the biodiversity framework, improving implementation of national commitments and strengthening mechanisms for financing conservation.
The framework calls for at least $200 billion annually from all sources by 2030, including at least $30 billion in international biodiversity finance, according to Armenia’s UN Ambassador, Paruyr Hovhannisyan.
Delegates are also expected to advance arrangements for the Cali Fund, which is designed to promote fair and equitable benefit-sharing from the commercial use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
Improved monitoring systems, data collection and international cooperation will also be important in determining whether governments are achieving tangible conservation results.
The conference will further address economic activities that contribute to biodiversity loss, including unsustainable production and consumption, harmful incentives and the environmental impacts of businesses.
Armenia has described COP17 as an opportunity to combine a review of existing commitments with practical measures to accelerate implementation.
Environment Minister and incoming COP17 President Hambardzum Matevosyan said the conference should establish the current state of progress, identify successful approaches and determine where additional action is required.
The Kunming-Montreal framework addresses major drivers of biodiversity loss, including land and sea-use changes, overexploitation of species, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species.
Its implementation is also linked to broader sustainable development objectives, as healthy ecosystems support food production, water security, clean air and livelihoods.
Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, has emphasised the need for countries to work together to close identified gaps and improve the delivery of existing commitments.
As COP17 begins, the central challenge for governments will be to translate the global biodiversity agreement into effective national policies, adequate financing and conservation measures capable of producing measurable results before the 2030 deadline.
