Armenian minister highlights Erevan's role in nature diplomacy

Hambardzum Matevosyan, Armenia's environment minister and president of COP17, announced that Erevan will be a key hub for diplomatic efforts on nature conservation in the coming days, in anticipation of the Leaders for Nature summit.

New biodiversity report released

The announcement coincided with the release of the State of Biodiversity Action report, which reviews progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework, adopted in 2022, outlines 23 targets to be met by 2030 to stop and reverse biodiversity loss.

International leaders present report findings

Matevosyan joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UNEP’s Inger Andersen, and CBD’s Astrid Schomaker in presenting the report’s key findings. They outlined steps needed to accelerate progress on biodiversity goals and emphasized the role of integrating biodiversity into all levels of governance.

Armenia's biodiversity efforts highlighted

Matevosyan stressed that biodiversity is crucial for the future and urged governments to include it in economic and political decisions. He noted Armenia's progress while acknowledging remaining challenges and emphasized COP17's role in evaluating progress and shaping future actions.

Guterres warns of unmet climate and nature goals

Guterres pointed out the gap between stated goals and actual progress, warning that the "war against nature" is not over. He linked climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution as interconnected crises and called for increased funding and stronger commitments to address them.

UNEP chief calls for urgent action

Inger Andersen of UNEP emphasized the need for immediate action to address rising global temperatures and long-term climate impacts. She argued that environmental issues must be tackled as a whole rather than in isolation and described the Kunming-Montreal framework as the best opportunity to protect biodiversity.

COP17 aims to improve global biodiversity outcomes

Astrid Schomaker noted gaps in the report and stressed the importance of COP17 in improving outcomes and speeding up the implementation of international commitments. The participants committed to including indigenous peoples, youth, and women in the process.

Erevan Declaration sets new nature goals

After the Leaders for Nature summit in Erevan, the "Erevan Declaration – Taking Action for Nature" was released. It reaffirms the commitment to the Kunming-Montreal framework, aiming to stop biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve harmony between humans and nature by 2050.

Declaration calls for stronger actions

The declaration acknowledges that current efforts are not enough to meet global goals and urges moving from intentions to measurable actions with lasting results. The Kunming-Montreal framework includes four long-term goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030, focusing on nature preservation, sustainable resource use, and funding mobilization.