UN biodiversity talks open in Armenia as leaders admit progress falls short

Negotiators from around the world gather in Yerevan, Armenia, on Monday for the UN Biodiversity Conference, known as COP17, which runs through Oct. 30, according to the European Commission.

The meeting will conduct the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the 2022 agreement whose 23 targets include protecting 30 percent of the planet's land and sea by 2030.

A sober starting point

Ahead of the talks, heads of state and government at a "Leaders for Nature" summit adopted the Yerevan Declaration, "Taking Action for Nature," Armenpress and Xinhua reported. The text acknowledges that collective progress so far has been insufficient and calls for faster action, Xinhua said.

According to Armenpress, the declaration calls for:

• more public and private finance, especially for developing and small island states;
• better monitoring and data to guide decisions;
• wider participation by Indigenous peoples, local communities, women and youth;
• fair sharing of benefits from genetic data through the Cali Fund.

Armenia's environment minister and COP17 president-designate, Hambardzum Matevosyan, presented the text, Xinhua reported.

Money on the table

Finance is expected to be central. The European Commission said the EU remains committed to the goal of mobilizing at least $200 billion a year for biodiversity by 2030 and is on track to double its international nature funding to 7 billion euros. EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall is set to lead the bloc's team during the high-level segment on Oct. 27-28.

The next full review of the framework is scheduled for 2030.