COP17 opens the first global biodiversity progress review in Yerevan

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity runs from October 19 to 30 in Yerevan, Armenia, bringing together 196 Parties and representatives from governments, science, Indigenous peoples, youth and business. At the midpoint between the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its 2030 deadline, this is the first collective review of progress across 23 targets, including protecting at least 30% of land and sea, increasing finance and reducing harmful subsidies. The initial stocktake says action is increasing but not at the speed and scale required. Parties will negotiate a Yerevan Pathway intended to turn commitments into measurable national action. The main constraints are the finance gap, uneven national ambition, comparable data and the political cost of subsidy reform.