Governments entered the scheduled final day of the COP17 biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 30 without agreement on key measures to protect nature, AFP reported. After talks that began on October 19, differences remained over harmful subsidies, conservation finance and corporate contributions to a UN fund. Recommendations arising from the global review were also unresolved.
The UN Environment Programme says this conference is the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Agreed in 2022, the framework sets 23 targets for 2030, including protecting 30% of land and oceans. The meeting assesses implementation halfway to that deadline, rather than negotiating the original framework anew.
According to AFP, the European Union has pressed wealthy emerging economies, including China, to contribute to financing biodiversity protection, but those discussions have stalled. Delegates are also struggling to refine the Cali Fund, which is intended to share benefits from companies' use of genetic data from plants and other organisms. These financial disputes remain part of the unfinished negotiations.
The stakes extend beyond protected areas. The International Institute for Sustainable Development says nature and ecosystem services underpin food systems, livelihoods, economies and security. It identifies reform of economic incentives that drive biodiversity loss, greater funding and coordinated action on nature, climate and land as priorities for turning commitments into practical results.
UN biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker urged countries to find common ground before the summit closed, AFP reported. Greenpeace International's Irene Wabiwa said on October 29 that concrete priorities had yet to emerge from the negotiations. Those comments reflect pressure for an outcome; they do not establish that delegates have agreed on a final package.
UNEP says countries are negotiating a Yerevan Pathway to accelerate implementation in response to the global review. The Armenian presidency has similarly described its purpose as connecting the assessment with practical solutions. The conference is scheduled to conclude on October 30, leaving governments to resolve outstanding texts and determine what collective action will follow the review.
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