With 2030 targets approaching, COP17 will examine whether countries can close implementation gaps, strengthen accountability and mobilise the finance needed to protect and restore nature under the global framework.
Brussels calls for stronger action and increased investment as governments prepare for the first global review of nature protection commitments in Armenia.
The European Union has vowed to resist any weakening of global biodiversity targets and push for increased financing at the upcoming UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Armenia, setting out its negotiating position as governments prepare to review progress towards halting nature loss by 2030.
The Council of the European Union adopted its negotiating position on Monday, October 12, reaffirming its commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and calling for faster implementation of internationally agreed conservation targets.
The October 19-30 summit in Yerevan will mark the first global review of collective progress under the framework, adopted by nearly 200 countries in 2022.
Ireland’s Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, said the EU would oppose any attempt to dilute existing commitments.
“There can be no lowering of the ambition that was agreed under the global biodiversity framework,” he said.
O’Sullivan called for accelerated global action and greater integration of biodiversity protection across economic and social policies, warning that international cooperation and nature conservation were facing growing challenges.
The EU said biodiversity protection must be incorporated into policies across all sectors, supported by credible scientific evidence and stronger implementation measures.
EU calls for increased biodiversity finance
Mobilising adequate financial resources is expected to be a major issue at COP17, as countries face mounting pressure to deliver conservation commitments made under the global framework.
The EU has called for increased public and private investment, including innovative financing mechanisms such as high-integrity nature credits.
However, the Council’s latest announcement did not specify any new financial commitments.
Under the Kunming-Montreal framework, governments agreed to mobilise at least $200 billion annually for biodiversity by 2030 from domestic, international, public and private sources.
The agreement also calls for international biodiversity finance flows from developed countries and other contributing nations to developing countries to reach at least $30 billion annually by 2030, following a $20 billion annual target for 2025.
Another commitment requires countries to progressively reduce incentives, including environmentally harmful subsidies, by at least $500 billion annually by 2030.
For developing countries, particularly least developed nations and small island developing states, predictable and accessible financing remains essential to implementing national biodiversity strategies and protecting vulnerable ecosystems.
The EU’s proposal to explore nature credits could create additional financing opportunities. Such instruments are intended to channel investment towards measurable conservation and restoration outcomes.
However, their effectiveness depends on credible verification, transparency and robust environmental and social safeguards, including protections for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Global review to test progress
COP17 will assess collective progress towards the framework’s 23 targets, including conserving at least 30 percent of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030.
The review will draw on national biodiversity reports, updated national strategies, scientific assessments and other evidence to evaluate achievements, implementation gaps and barriers to progress.
The findings are expected to inform discussions on accelerating implementation and strengthening monitoring and accountability.
The EU Council also adopted its negotiating position for the COP31 UN Climate Change Conference, scheduled for November 9-20 in Antalya, Türkiye.
For COP31, the bloc will advocate stronger implementation of the Paris Agreement, faster emissions reductions, a transition away from fossil fuels and greater international cooperation on climate resilience.
The EU maintains that biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution and ecosystem degradation are interconnected crises requiring coordinated international action.
With just four years remaining to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets, the Yerevan summit will test whether governments can translate their commitments into measurable progress, mobilise sufficient financing and strengthen accountability for protecting and restoring nature.
