UN biodiversity conference begins formal sessions in Armenia

Armenian Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan speaks at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 19, 2026. The opening plenary of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) was held here on Monday. (Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)

YEREVAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The opening plenary of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) was held here on Monday.

The international community has made some progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, but the pace and scale of action remains insufficient to achieve its targets, Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said at the plenary.

Schomaker said the conference should advance global biodiversity governance through "accountability, alignment and acceleration." All parties should strengthen the alignment between national actions and global targets, broaden the participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities, women, youth, businesses and financial institutions, and translate international commitments into action, she said.

Armenian Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan was elected COP17 president for a two-year term at the plenary.

Themed "Taking Action for Nature," COP17 runs through Oct. 30. The United Nations published a State of Biodiversity Action report on global progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal framework in Yerevan on Thursday.

Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, speaks at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 19, 2026. The opening plenary of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) was held here on Monday. (Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)

Participants attend the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, Oct. 19, 2026. The opening plenary of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) was held here on Monday. (Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)