CBD COP17: Parties adopt Yerevan Pathway as biodiversity talks end amid criticism

After more than two weeks of negotiations, Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have adopted a series of decisions and frameworks aimed at addressing global biodiversity loss, including the adoption of the Yerevan Pathway.

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The Yerevan Pathway was adopted at the closing plenary on Saturday, 31 October, following negotiations that were scheduled to end on Friday but extended by an additional 24 hours.

The adoption followed weeks of intensive deliberations among Parties on a broad range of issues, including benefit-sharing, biodiversity financing, harmful subsidies, Indigenous Peoples’ rights and marine conservation.

In a statement announcing the conclusion of the conference, the CBD Secretariat said the 2026 UN Biodiversity Conference had adopted a range of decisions advancing the Convention’s work across scientific, technical and implementation-related areas.

“One major outcome was the Yerevan Pathway, a negotiated response to the first review of collective progress in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF),” the Secretariat said.

The conference, which began on 19 October, comprised the 17th Conference of the Parties to the CBD (COP17), alongside meetings of Parties to its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.

The global review undertaken at COP17 was a stocktaking exercise based on evidence presented in the State of Biodiversity Action report, released shortly before the conference.

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The report found that the world remains off track to meet the Framework’s 23 targets by their 2030 deadline, highlighting the urgent need for governments to accelerate implementation.

Negotiations were also marked by disagreements over several contentious issues, with Russia repeatedly accused by observers and other delegations of attempting to block or weaken proposed language on Indigenous rights, biodiversity conservation on the high seas and harmful subsidies.

The disagreements contributed to tensions among negotiating blocs, with some delegations expressing frustration over efforts to dilute proposed commitments.

According to the UN, the Yerevan Pathway establishes a shared response to the findings of the global review, identifying priorities for action through 2030 and areas where progress must be accelerated.

These include eliminating nature-harmful subsidies and incentives, increasing financial, scientific and technical support for developing countries, aligning national budgets and economic decisions with the KMGBF, and strengthening implementation, monitoring, reporting and review mechanisms.

The conference also brought together negotiated decisions, new financial commitments and initiatives aimed at removing obstacles to implementation, mobilising resources to narrow the biodiversity financing gap and strengthening the conditions needed to translate global commitments into action.

“Over these two weeks we have demonstrated that differences can be bridged, commitments can become decisions and cooperation can deliver,” said COP17 President, Hambardzum Matevosyan.

“With the adoption of the Yerevan Pathway, we demonstrate our collective determination to respond to one of the most urgent challenges of our time. It sets out priorities for collective action, from implementing national plans and mobilising financial resources to strengthening science, monitoring and the participation of all sectors of society,” he said.

Alongside the Yerevan Pathway, Parties adopted decisions on several scientific and technical issues, including protected areas and forest biodiversity, sustainable wildlife management, invasive alien species, risk assessment of living modified organisms, marine and coastal biodiversity, synthetic biology and biodiversity mainstreaming.

CBD Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, said the next four years would be critical to accelerating implementation of the global biodiversity framework.

“The next four years must bring acceleration and alignment with what we agreed when we adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,” she said.

“We know what needs to change. We cannot protect nature while continuing to finance its destruction. Resources must reach the countries and communities that need them. And biodiversity must become part of everyday economic decisions.

“Ultimately, the test is not what governments agreed in Yerevan, but what they change when they return home.”

Financing gaps, harmful incentives, limited access to technology, data and knowledge, and insufficient engagement across government and society remain major obstacles to implementing the global framework.

Key outcomes adopted by Parties

The conference produced several decisions, financial commitments and initiatives aimed at addressing these barriers, including a renewed emphasis on biodiversity education.

One significant outcome was the agreement on the rules of operation for the new permanent subsidiary body on Article 8(j), officially named the Sevan Guidelines.

The decision marks a step towards strengthening the participation and role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in shaping global biodiversity policies and actions.

On financing, announcements during the conference included nearly $2 billion in new biodiversity-related funding commitments.

These included $560 million under the GEF-9 replenishment and its Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, $500 million through the Species Recovery Alliance and more than $330 million through the Value Nature Fund, an initiative aimed at mobilising private capital for nature.

Other initiatives included a Presidency-led effort to reform harmful incentives, a new biodiversity bond and investment incubator launched by the Asian Development Bank, and a proposed model framework law on forests to strengthen environmental enforcement.

The conference also introduced new State of Nature Indicators and Metrics to improve biodiversity monitoring and accountability.

Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, said the conference had helped advance efforts to translate the global biodiversity framework into practical action.

“The world has already agreed a global plan to safeguard nature,” she said.

“This COP was about accelerating implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and turning those targets into decisive, real-world action.

“In Yerevan, we saw environmental multilateralism prevail once again. Countries came together, found the spirit of compromise and allowed us to agree important decisions that will support real progress for people and for planet.”

With four years remaining to achieve the world’s 23 biodiversity targets, attention now turns to implementing the decisions and commitments reached in Yerevan.

The Yerevan Pathway is expected to guide national efforts through 2030, with progress assessed through changes in policies, the delivery of resources and measurable improvements for nature and people.

The next Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP18) is scheduled to be held in Ecuador in 2028.

Mixed reactions trail CBD COP17 decisions

Despite the adoption of the Yerevan Pathway and other decisions, the outcomes have attracted criticism from conservation groups, which say the negotiations fell short of the ambition required to address the global biodiversity crisis.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said COP17 provided a clearer picture of the global biodiversity crisis and the gaps that must be addressed to achieve the world’s 2030 targets.

However, it argued that the Yerevan Pathway and other conference outcomes did not deliver the stronger level of ambition needed to put the world on track.

Vice President for International Policy at WCS, Susan Lieberman, described the conference as well organised but criticised the negotiations for producing what she considered weak outcomes.

“COP17 was well organised by the Government of Armenia and provided a great platform for sharing, networking, and learning,” she said.

“But the negotiations themselves ended up weak on ambition. We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, and timidity will not save nature – we need strong outcomes for wildlife and wild places, not only outputs and great speeches.”

Ms Lieberman said the conference should have marked a turning point by securing stronger political commitments and financing to reverse biodiversity loss.

“Success required governments to commit the political will and financing needed to reverse biodiversity loss. That means protecting and restoring ecological integrity, respecting the rights and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and reducing the drivers of decline.

“With just four years until 2030, we cannot afford another conference that diagnoses the crisis without accelerating the cure,” she said.

She, however, acknowledged the importance of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, describing it as a vital and ambitious global agreement.

“If all of the targets are delivered, as governments committed, then nature will indeed be on the path to recovery. COP17 has clarified the challenge; now governments must summon the political will, resources and resolve to meet it,” she said.

WCS Director of International Policy, Alfred DeGemmis, also criticised the negotiations, describing the conference as a setback following years of optimism surrounding global biodiversity targets.

“This year’s UN biodiversity summit was the crash after several years of sugar-rushed optimism about global biodiversity targets. The obstructionist politics of the climate talks have entered the biodiversity negotiations, and identifying transformative actions will require ambitious leaders willing to spend political capital,” he said.

WCS assessment of key COP17 outcomes

In its assessment of the conference, WCS said the Yerevan Pathway provided an opportunity to address gaps in the implementation of the global biodiversity framework but questioned whether the adopted text contained sufficiently practical measures.

The organisation noted that the final decision largely relied on previously agreed language and remained imprecise on practical steps to close the implementation gap.

It, however, welcomed the inclusion of provisions on ecosystem monitoring and subsidy reform, describing both as critical to reversing biodiversity loss.

On the 30×30 target, which seeks to conserve at least 30 per cent of the world’s land and sea by 2030, WCS said countries were making gradual progress on terrestrial conservation and significant progress in coastal waters.

However, it stressed that the ultimate objective must go beyond increasing the coverage of protected areas to ensuring that they are effectively and equitably managed and deliver measurable biodiversity outcomes.

The organisation also welcomed the launch of the Yerevan Global OECM Action Hub, describing it as a positive step towards advancing other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).

It said the initiative must contribute to meaningful progress towards the 30×30 target alongside the expansion of protected areas.

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On climate and biodiversity, WCS expressed disappointment that COP17 failed to secure stronger measures to address the interconnected crises.

The organisation had sought stronger cooperation among the Rio Conventions and a roadmap to help countries coordinate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.

Although high-level events involving the presidencies of CBD COP16, UNCCD COP16 and UNFCCC COP31 highlighted the urgency of integrated action, WCS said the formal outcomes remained insufficient.

It particularly criticised the decision to encourage countries to begin applying voluntary guidelines on climate and biodiversity synergies, which will undergo further negotiations before COP18.

Describing the approach as “kicking the can down the road”, WCS said it fell short of what was required, particularly as climate change continues to threaten biodiversity and ecosystem degradation contributes to emissions while weakening the capacity of people and nature to adapt.

The first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework had already highlighted the scale of the challenge. Although countries have made progress in developing national biodiversity targets and strategies, fewer than half of national targets are on track.

Current commitments also remain insufficient to achieve the 30×30 target, while financing, capacity and data gaps continue to impede implementation.

The review has therefore provided a basis for governments to reassess their commitments and accelerate action.

The challenge now is whether countries will translate the decisions and commitments made in Yerevan into concrete policy changes, adequate financing and measurable improvements in biodiversity conservation before the 2030 deadline.

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