COP17 Biodiversity: Yerevan Opens the Negotiations

This Monday, October 19, COP17 (17th Conference of the Parties) to the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity) opens in Yerevan, Armenia. Four years after the commitments made in 2022, countries will have to show where they stand. And the starting point is clear: we are still far from the mark.

The Young Ambassadors for the Environment (JAE, Jeunes Ambassadeurs pour l'Environnement) will be there.Here's what's at stake, and why we belong in these rooms.

The kickoff

The conference runs from October 19 to 30, 2026. The opening ceremony took place last night, Sunday, October 18, in the plenary hall. Negotiations begin today.

The tone was set from the very first speeches. Hambardzum Matevosyan, Armenia's Minister of Environment and President of COP17, laid out the goal: move past disagreements and secure a consensus within two weeks. Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the CBD, reminded delegates that billions of people affected by biodiversity loss are waiting for results.

A few days earlier, a leaders' summit had kicked things off. UN (United Nations) Secretary-General António Guterres called for more action, faster.

Yerevan is actually hosting three meetings in one:

• COP17 of the CBD;

• CP-MOP 12 (12th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety);

• NP-MOP 6 (6th Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization).

  
  

What's at stake in Yerevan

Everything revolves around one text: the GBF (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). Adopted in 2022, it sets 23 targets to reach by 2030 to halt biodiversity loss. This is the second COP since its adoption, and the moment to check whether countries are keeping their word.

Three issues dominate the talks:

• Monitoring. How to measure progress, with which indicators, and how to hold lagging countries accountable.

• Money. The funding gap remains huge. The EU (European Union) is pushing China and major emerging economies to contribute more.

• Implementation. Capacity-building, scientific cooperation, education and public awareness.

  
  

The context doesn't help: tight budgets and a multilateral system in crisis. The 196 Parties to the Convention have until October 30 to reach agreement. The high-level segment, with ministers, will take place on October 27 and 28.

The choice of host country is no accident. Armenia covers 6.7% of the Caucasus but is home to around 60% of the region's biodiversity.

Why young people at COP17 Biodiversity

Because 2030 is just around the corner. And those who will be 30 or 40 when the time comes to take stock are the ones who will live with the consequences of what is decided today.

Young people are not the COP's audience. They are stakeholders, and they have things to say about how commitments translate, or fail to translate, on the ground.

Being there is also about learning how it works. Negotiations can't be understood from press releases. They play out in working groups, word by word, in brackets.

The JAE delegation on site

Our ambassadors Alexandra and Louise are leading the way. Paul-Antoine and Ivane will join them for the rest of the conference.

On the agenda for the coming days:

• following the working groups, where the text of future commitments is drafted;

• attending side events, particularly on the role of local communities in protecting the places they live;

• meeting scientists and negotiators, especially those from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

  
  

Young people belong in these forums. But first, they have to be there.