CBD COP17: Key issues as UN biodiversity talks kick off in Armenia

Representatives of governments, indigenous peoples, local communities and other stakeholders are expected to convene in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, for the 17th session of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) from 19 to 30 October, as nations seek to accelerate efforts to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss.

The conference comes four years after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which set a 2030 deadline for the actualisation of its targets.

Organisers see the 2026 conference as a critical halfway point between the framework’s adoption in 2022 and the 2030 deadline for achieving its interconnected targets.

The Conference of the Parties (COP), the convention’s highest decision-making body, assembles member countries to review progress in implementing the convention and their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

Parties also negotiate global priorities, agree on measures to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable use of natural resources, while establishing the mechanisms for mobilising financial and technical support.

These efforts also seek to ensure fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Nigeria is among the countries committed to the convention.

Biodiversity under pressure

In Nigeria and across Africa, biodiversity conservation faces increasing pressure from environmental degradation, socioeconomic challenges and institutional weaknesses.

Major threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, driven by agricultural expansion, slash-and-burn farming, urbanisation and the conversion of forests into commercial plantations, including oil palm plantations.

The overexploitation of natural resources, including endangered wildlife, commercial logging and overfishing, also threatens ecosystems. Pollution, climate change and invasive species further disrupt natural habitats and food webs, while population growth increases pressure on land and other natural resources.

These challenges underscore the need for stronger conservation policies, improved enforcement and sustainable approaches to managing natural resources.

Global progress remains insufficient

A new United Nations report, State of Biodiversity Action, highlights progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework but warns that countries are advancing at a pace required to meet their commitments.

According to the UN, nearly 90 per cent of parties have set national biodiversity targets, more than 70 per cent have submitted national reports, and action is underway across all 23 targets of the framework.

Yet, implementation remains inadequate, with fewer than half of the national targets assessed by parties considered to be on track.

The findings are expected to reinforce calls for countries to move beyond commitments and speed up the implementation of policies and programmes needed to protect biodiversity.

The 2026 UN Biodiversity Conference will include COP17, alongside the 12th meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.

Talks will focus on reviewing collective progress, strengthening implementation support, advancing scientific and policy guidance, addressing the financial and economic factors influencing biodiversity outcomes, improving biosafety and promoting the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources.

Key issues on the agenda

At COP17, countries will undertake the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The review is expected to assess how far countries have progressed towards their commitments and identify gaps requiring urgent action.

Other priorities include mobilising finance, strengthening capacity-building and international cooperation, and expanding the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in biodiversity conservation.

Financing remains a critical issue because implementing biodiversity commitments requires sustainable resources, particularly for countries facing competing development priorities and limited institutional capacity.

The conference will also examine the policy and economic conditions that influence biodiversity outcomes, including how governments and other stakeholders can align development activities with conservation objectives.

The Cartagena Protocol’s 12th meeting will focus on strengthening implementation, including through updated guidance on risk assessment and management and improved capacity for informed biosafety decisions.

Meanwhile, the Nagoya Protocol’s sixth meeting will address implementation, monitoring, capacity-building, cooperation and institutional effectiveness, with particular attention to access to genetic resources and the equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use.

Broad participation expected

Beyond formal negotiations, the conference is expected to bring together more than 10,000 delegates from governments, scientific institutions, financial organisations, businesses, cities, indigenous peoples and local communities, and youth groups.

High-level meetings and other initiatives will provide opportunities for stakeholders to exchange ideas, build partnerships and develop solutions to advance biodiversity action.

According to organisers, broader participation is essential to mobilising the whole-of-society effort required to achieve global biodiversity commitments.

Hambardzum Matevosyan, the president of COP17 and Armenia’s Minister of Environment, said the meeting must renew countries’ commitment to implementing the global biodiversity framework.

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“Four years ago, we agreed on an ambitious global agreement for nature. In Yerevan, halfway between the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and 2030, we must renew our collective commitment and focus on its delivery,” he said.

He expressed confidence that inclusive and constructive cooperation will enable countries to find common ground and deliver outcomes that benefit nature and people.

Astrid Schomaker, the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said the conference should serve as a platform for accelerating action to protect nature.

“Protecting biodiversity is not separate from protecting our economies. Our food, water, health and livelihoods all depend on healthy ecosystems,” she said.

Ms Schomaker noted that countries had agreed in 2022 on a framework to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but warned that progress remains too slow.

“Yerevan must mark a turning point in our journey to 2030, putting us on a faster path to meeting the biodiversity targets and achieving our vision of living in harmony with nature,” she said.