The biodiversity summit in Armenia is holding the first global review of progress on an international biodiversity framework, with negotiations scheduled to continue through October 30.
Parties to the global biodiversity convention and its two protocols adopted 14 decisions during the first week of negotiations in Yerevan, Armenia, COP17 Armenia said in a statement carried by Armenpress on 25 October. In a 26 October account, Hetq described measures on timely biosafety reports and publication of verification data under the two protocols.
COP17 is the 17th meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It marks the first global review of progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the international plan for protecting the variety of life on Earth.
In its 12 October preview, Carbon Brief explained that the summit falls halfway between agreement on the framework and the deadline for its targets. The convention has found that countries are off track to meet 22 of the framework’s 23 targets. The review will assess progress and recommend ways to accelerate action.
The Cartagena Protocol covers biosafety: protection against risks associated with biotechnology. The Nagoya Protocol governs access to genetic resources and the fair sharing of benefits from their use. Both have separate meetings alongside the convention talks.
| Protocol | Decisions adopted |
|---|
Environment official Voskehat Grigoryan says the Global OECM Action Hub will pool expertise to help countries apply existing conservation criteria outside protected areas.
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| Reported requirements |
|---|
| Cartagena | Eight | Press countries to submit compliance reports on time and strengthen their capacity to detect and identify living modified organisms—organisms altered through biotechnology. |
| Nagoya | Two, adopted without amendments on 23 October | Require states to establish national regulations and publish all verification data through the international Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House, the protocol’s information-sharing service. |
The organisers said the first-week decisions address biosafety, invasive alien species, gender equality, public awareness, compliance and monitoring. Invasive alien species are non-native species that cause harm.
Hetq said delegates adopted a draft revision of the Gender Action Plan for 2023–2030, rather than a final revised plan. The draft calls for biodiversity initiatives to address gender differences and for better data broken down by gender and age, with a final performance review ahead of COP19.
The conference also presented a voluntary Global Action Programme on Biodiversity Education, developed with UNESCO to bring environmental conservation into national school curricula. Separately, Hetq said delegates backed proposals to use superintelligence (SI) and One Health—an approach linking human, animal and environmental health—to detect and track invasive alien species spreading through online commerce and international trade.
The meetings began on 19 October and are scheduled to continue through 30 October, leaving a second week of negotiations after the first-week agreements.
Armenia’s Environment Ministry says the countries have succeeded Colombia and Germany in leading a partnership that helps countries put national biodiversity plans into practice.
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Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan says the Yerevan initiative aims to bring mountain countries together to put conservation into national plans and budgets.
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Update ·
Adds details of eight Cartagena and two Nagoya Protocol decisions, including reporting and verification requirements, and distinguishes them from draft plans, voluntary programmes and proposals.
