With biodiversity finance under scrutiny, the EU is highlighting its funding commitments while negotiators face pressure to translate global conservation targets into measurable action benefiting vulnerable countries and communities.
Brussels says it is on track with its funding pledges as COP17 begins in Armenia.
The European Union has joined global partners at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, calling for faster action to protect the world’s natural systems. The conference opened this week and runs from 19 to 30 October.
The European Commission is representing the EU. It says it will focus on stepping up implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, mobilising finance and placing Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the centre of nature protection.
Leaders adopt Yerevan Declaration
Before the formal opening, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera represented the Commission at the “Leaders for Nature” Summit on 16 October, hosted by Armenia’s COP17 Presidency. World leaders there adopted the Yerevan Declaration, titled “Taking Action for Nature,” which reaffirmed political commitment to global biodiversity targets.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall will lead the EU negotiating team during the High-Level Segment on 27 and 28 October. She will also launch a new initiative, “Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity.”
“A COP of proof”
Ribera set a tone of accountability. “Yerevan should be the COP of proof, not only of promises,” she said. She argued that protecting nature is an investment rather than a cost, and linked healthy ecosystems to water security, food security and climate resilience.
Roswall stressed that nature underpins economic strength and resilience. She said countries must collectively speed up delivery of the 2022 framework so that the future is sustainable for all.
The money question
Finance is likely to be among the most closely watched issues in Yerevan. The EU says it remains committed to mobilising biodiversity funding from public and private sources by 2030. It also says it is on track to meet President Ursula von der Leyen’s 2021 pledge to double international biodiversity funding from €3.5 billion to €7 billion, with a focus on the most vulnerable developing countries.
Looking to the 2028-2034 budget period, the Commission has proposed earmarking 35% of the total EU budget, and 30% of international financing under its Global Europe instrument, for climate and environmental action.
Why it matters
Pledges on paper have long outpaced action on the ground. Developing countries, Indigenous communities and youth groups will be watching whether Yerevan turns the Kunming-Montreal targets into funded, measurable delivery. For climate-vulnerable nations in South Asia, where lost wetlands, forests and fisheries directly threaten livelihoods, the outcome will matter far beyond the conference hall.
