UN Biodiversity Conference 2026: COP17 in a nutshell
The next UN Biodiversity Conference will be held in Armenia in October. Here we answer the most important questions about the negotiations.
Where and when will the UN Biodiversity Conference 2026 take place?
The 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) will be held in the Armenian capital of Yereven from 19 to 30 October 2026. The theme of the meeting will be Taking Action for Nature. Armenia is considered a biodiversity hotspot, making it a fitting location for the conference. Home to many endemic flora and fauna species, the country in the South Caucasus also has a diverse landscape that includes steppes, species-rich forests and wetlands, as well as alpine meadows and high mountains.
Who will be attending COP17?
The 196 parties to the convention – 195 states plus the European Union – will be attending. Only the USA and the Holy See (Vatican City) have so far failed to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This makes the CBD one of the most widely adopted environmental agreements in the world. Representatives from civil society, the science and research community and the business sector will also attend. Organisations representing Indigenous Peoples are particularly important for this topic, as they play a key role in preserving biodiversity in many regions. They, too, will have a significant presence in Yerevan.
Why are biodiversity conferences important?
At these meetings, the international community works to stop and reverse the loss of biodiversity. We are currently seeing a fundamental reshaping of nature. One million of the estimated eight to ten million species are under threat of extinction. Scientists refer to this as the sixth mass extinction. All previous mass extinctions had natural causes – the most recent being the demise of the dinosaurs – but the current crisis is being driven by human activity. This development constitutes a threat to all humanity because nature provides almost everything we need to survive – from drinking water and food to raw materials for clothing and medication.
Biodiversity or biological diversity is a measure of the abundance of different life in a given habitat. A distinction is made between three levels: diversity of species, diversity within species, and diversity of ecosystems. All three categories are currently dwindling drastically.
What are the goals of the CBD COP17?
The conference will aim to drive forward the implementation of the decisions made at the last two COPs: in 2022, COP15 adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It includes 23 concrete targets for conserving biodiversity. The most prominent example is the 30x30 target. It states that by 2030, 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface should be protected. Two years ago in Cali (Colombia) and during a second round in Rome (Italy), the international community adopted further resolutions, including on the contribution of Indigenous Peoples. Their participation was strengthened through the establishment of a new permanent body. In Armenia, the focus will be on implementing all the decisions taken at the last two COPs and on an initial official interim assessment of what has been achieved so far (‘Global Review’).
What has happened since 2022?
According to the provisional Global Review Report, which is due to be adopted in Yerevan, the GBF has triggered ‘unprecedented global engagement’ for the conservation of biodiversity. It states that more than three quarters of all countries have set national biodiversity targets and have taken ‘substantial steps towards implementation’ of the 23 targets. However, the pace of progress has been insufficient to achieve any of these targets by 2030. Progress has been particularly slow in addressing the main causes of biodiversity loss: agriculture, which places excessive pressure on nature and soil, and excessive consumption and unsustainable production.
What is the status of the 30x30 target?
Things are moving in the right direction: 18.4 per cent of terrestrial area (up from 17.6 per cent) and 10 per cent of marine area (up from 8.4 per cent) are now conserved. To achieve the target, a terrestrial area roughly the size of Russia and a marine area the size of the Indian Ocean must still be conserved. The need for action remains significant.
Will funding be a contentious issue again?
In Armenia, funding will again play a key role, as there is still not enough of it to achieve biodiversity conservation. In Montreal, it was agreed to raise at least USD 200 billion a year – from all sources. However, according to calculations by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the current total lies between USD 78 and 91 billion dollars a year. This constitutes a shortfall of around 60 per cent compared with the original target.
How is it possible to close the funding gap?
By traditional donor countries allocating more money to biodiversity. Given tight budgets, however, this is rather unlikely. That is why a greater involvement of new donors, such as the Arab states or China, is under discussion. The private sector is also being called upon to act, for example through the Cali Fund, which was set up in Colombia. Under this scheme, companies are expected to make contributions when they use genetic information extracted from organisms in the pharmaceutical or chemical industries, for example. The modalities are still under debate, meaning that the fund – apart from a small symbolic sum – remains empty. Heated discussions on funding are expected at the conference.
Why is money needed for nature conservation?
A large share of global biodiversity is found in poorer countries, which have to balance nature conservation against other objectives such as economic growth, education or health. That is why they need support. Nature conservation costs money. Protected areas need to be demarcated and managed, which requires equipment, rangers, foresters and much more. This is an investment in preserving nature’s ‘services’, which refers to the ecosystems that provide us with clean air, water, fertile soil, pollination of crops and protection against natural disasters, and are therefore indispensable for people and the economy.
Biodiversity is key to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and two goals are dedicated to protecting it: SDG 14 (‘Life below water’) and SDG 15 (‘Life on land’). These two SDGs are seen as critical levers for achieving the other SDGs. According to studies, nature conservation acts as a catalyst for the other 15 SDGs. That is why they are considered key SDGs.
What is Germany’s position on biodiversity?
Germany expressly supports the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity and will also play an active role in Yerevan. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said in a speech: ‘What happens in other regions of the world has a direct impact on us. That is why Germany is one of the world’s largest donors to nature conservation.’
