On October 16, a Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity is taking place in Yerevan, organized as part of the preparations for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). Participants are discussing how to accelerate the fulfillment of international commitments regarding biodiversity conservation and prompt more decisive action from governments.

Attendees include UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, and Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze. Armenia is represented at the meeting by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

Some participants arrived in Armenia following the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which was held in Baku on October 15.

The summit focuses on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. Among other provisions, it stipulates that by 2030, at least 30% of the planet’s land and marine areas should be under protection to preserve nature.

In his remarks at the meeting, Guterres urged nations to move beyond promises toward concrete action. He noted that more than a million species are currently at risk of extinction, and that existing efforts fall short of achieving global conservation goals. He also pointed to a lack of funding and called for the redirection of resources away from activities that harm nature and toward its protection.

The summit is being held under the theme "Leaders for Nature." It is expected to conclude with the adoption of the Yerevan Declaration, which will reaffirm political support for global biodiversity conservation goals.

The main COP17 conference will take place in Yerevan from October 19 to 30. It will serve as the first global assessment of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.