European and international representatives stressed the need to close funding gaps, strengthen accountability and integrate biodiversity into economic policies ahead of the 2026 summit.
A preparatory discussion at the European Parliament has called for stronger financing, international cooperation and measurable action to meet global biodiversity commitments ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled for October 19-30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia, which will assume the presidency of the conference.
The event, titled “Toward COP17: Global Review and the Biodiversity Financing Gap,” was jointly organised by European Parliament member and COP17 delegation co-chair Stefan Köhler, the Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
Participants included Mher Margaryan, special envoy of the Armenian COP17 presidency, members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), IUCN and civil society and environmental organisations.
According to the Armenpress correspondent in Brussels, speakers agreed that COP17 should mark an important step towards translating international biodiversity commitments into concrete, measurable action.
Discussions focused on the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, closing the biodiversity financing gap and mobilising the financial resources needed to achieve its objectives.
Köhler said nature conservation and economic prosperity were compatible goals, stressing the need for solutions that protect ecosystems while ensuring food security and economic resilience.
He described COP17 as a key opportunity to review global progress towards the framework’s 2030 targets, adding that ambitious commitments alone were insufficient without adequate financing, scientific foundations, effective monitoring and accountability.
Köhler also underlined the importance of involving farmers, foresters, fishers, local communities and other stakeholders in the process.
Margaryan highlighted cooperation between Armenia and the European Union on environmental protection, climate change and sustainable development, saying Armenia aimed to make COP17 an inclusive, transparent and action-oriented process.
He said the conference would address financing and resource mobilisation, scientific and technical cooperation, engagement with businesses and financial institutions, and the integration of biodiversity considerations into economic and financial policies.
Margaryan also outlined plans for a legal summit ahead of COP17 and the proposed “Yerevan Call for Action”, which is intended to provide fresh political impetus for biodiversity conservation and the implementation of international commitments.
César Luena, a member of the European Parliament and co-chair of its COP17 delegation, said Europe had made progress on biodiversity but that the pace remained insufficient.
He identified the main challenge as translating existing legislation and commitments into practical results. Priorities included increasing biodiversity financing, ensuring the effective operation of the Cali Fund, reviewing subsidies harmful to nature and measuring tangible outcomes.
Luena also stressed the connection between biodiversity conservation and climate resilience, noting that healthy ecosystems were essential for food, water, health and the economy.
Veronika Hunt Šafránková, head of UNEP’s Brussels office, called for closer coordination among international processes, arguing that policies on biodiversity, climate, land and chemicals should not be pursued in isolation.
She said COP17 offered an opportunity to improve coordination across these areas and raise the profile of biodiversity on political and economic agendas.
Anne Theo Seinen, team leader for global biodiversity at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment, highlighted the significance of the first global biodiversity review and the introduction of a new system of national reporting.
The information gathered through the process would provide an important basis for accountability and further action, she said, while implementation remained the main challenge and opportunities to pursue more ambitious goals needed to be preserved.
Seinen also emphasised regional dialogue, exchanges of experience and the participation of non-state actors, including businesses, organisations and other institutions.
Ines Verleye, Belgium’s national focal point for the Convention on Biological Diversity and technical head of the country’s delegation to the convention, said the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 23 targets covered almost every area of economic and social activity.
She stressed that biodiversity protection could not be confined to specially protected areas, but must also extend to places where agriculture, fishing, industry and other economic activities take place.
Verleye described COP17 as an opportunity to integrate biodiversity systematically across economic and social sectors and generate renewed political momentum towards the 2030 targets.
Andras Krolopp, head of biodiversity policy in Europe at The Nature Conservancy, highlighted the role of non-governmental organisations in bringing people together and fostering discussions and dialogue that could produce concrete results.
Boris Erg, director of IUCN’s European Regional Office, thanked the event’s organisers and announced that IUCN would host a pavilion at COP17 on October 26, inviting participants to visit.
The discussion concluded with a shared emphasis on moving beyond the reaffirmation of commitments towards faster implementation, supported by adequate financing, international and cross-sectoral cooperation, scientific evidence, effective oversight and broad public participation.
Participants stressed that biodiversity conservation could no longer be treated solely as an environmental issue, given its direct links to the economy, food security, climate resilience, health and sustainable development.
