COP17: EU delivering on global targets to protect nature and biodiversity
Healthy ecosystems are essential for our economies, sustainable jobs, poverty eradication, health, and climate change mitigation and resilience.
The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17) opens next week in Yerevan, Armenia, running from 19 to 30 October.
Representing the EU, the European Commission will join global partners to accelerate action under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — focusing on stepping up implementation, mobilising finance, and placing Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the centre of nature protection.
Read also
Ahead of the official opening, Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera will represent the Commission at the ‘Leaders for Nature‘ Summit on 16 October, hosted by the Armenian COP17 Presidency. World leaders are expected to adopt the Yerevan Declaration, “Taking Action for Nature,” reaffirming high-level political commitment to global biodiversity targets.
During the conference’s High-Level Segment (27–28 October), Commissioner Jessika Roswall will lead the EU negotiating team, participate in high-level sessions, and launch a new initiative: Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity.
“Nature is at the heart of our economy and our resilience. The EU is implementing ambitious policies to protect and restore nature and is a major supporter of biodiversity protection worldwide. We need to collectively accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to ensure a future that is sustainable and resilient for all.”
Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
Global implementation review
The EU is committed to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted in 2022 and is making significant progress towards its global biodiversity targets, putting in place a strong framework to protect and restore nature.
This year’s Global Review marks the first test of the new planning, monitoring, reporting, and review procedures — a process that will repeat at CBD COP19 in 2030. Through this review, we reaffirm our collective commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and signal an urgent need to accelerate action across all 23 global targets.
Reaching these targets is essential to halting biodiversity loss, from protecting and managing 30% of Earth’s land, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas by 2030 to restoring degraded ecosystems and integrating biodiversity into all sectors and policies.
The science is clear: healthy ecosystems are essential for our economies, sustainable jobs, poverty eradication, health, and climate change mitigation and resilience.
“Yerevan should be the COP of proof, not only of promises. Healthy ecosystems are indispensable for climate resilience, water security, food security and long-term prosperity. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is not a cost. It is an investment in our future, our economies and the next generations.
Now it’s time to turn the ambition of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity framework into delivery.”
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
Mobilising biodiversity finance
The EU remains fully committed to mobilising funds from public and private sources for biodiversity by 2030. Furthermore, the EU is on track to deliver on President von der Leyen’s 2021 pledge to double international biodiversity funding from €3.5 billion to €7 billion — focusing especially on the most vulnerable developing nations.
Looking ahead to the 2028–2034 period, the Commission has proposed earmarking 35% of the total EU budget and 30% of international financing under the Global Europe instrument for climate and environmental action.
The Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity, a newly launched initiative during a high-level side event on 27 October, will aim to foster party-led exchanges on innovative financing for biodiversity. Nature credits are emerging as a key mechanism to leverage private investment alongside public funding, directly supporting both EU and global biodiversity targets.
The EU will also co-host a dedicated session on 19 October titled “The DSI Multilateral Mechanism & the Cali Fund: What Is Needed to Enable Early Operationalization?”.
Established at CBD COP16 in 2024, the Cali Fund aims to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources. Companies that make use of DSI — particularly within the pharmaceutical, agrifood, and biotechnology sectors — are called upon to contribute to the fund, with the proceeds to be used for global biodiversity conservation, particularly within Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The EU is strongly committed to ensuring the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in CBD processes. This is particularly important for the modalities of the new dedicated Subsidiary Body created two years ago at COP16, to be agreed at COP17.
Background
The 17th Conference of the Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) as well as the 12th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP COP-MOP12) and the 6th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (NP COP-MOP6) are scheduled for 19 to 30 October in Yerevan, Armenia. Collectively, they are also referred to as the UN Biodiversity Conference 2026.
The EU appreciates Armenia’s impressive efforts at making COP17 a success, including the Leaders’ Summit, the High-Level Segment and the four Presidency initiatives for accelerating implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
