From October 19th to 30th, Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, will host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), the first major global assessment of the Kunming-Montreal Framework since its signing. CEBDS is closely monitoring the negotiations and mobilizing its member companies for the international nature agenda.
What is COP17 on Biodiversity?
The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a UN treaty signed by 196 countries that deals with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The 17th edition of the conference (COP17) will take place in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, between October 19 and 30, 2026, under the motto "Taking Action for Nature".
The central objective of this edition is to carry out the first major global assessment of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) – a progress review exercise comparable to the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, but focused on nature. In practice, this means measuring how much progress countries have made towards biodiversity preservation targets and accelerating actions to meet them by 2030.
See also: 4th COPs Radar | Climate, Nature and Society
What has already been decided: the legacy of COP16
Signed at COP15 in 2022, the GBF established 4 long-term objectives until 2050 and 23 specific targets for 2030, organized into three main blocks: reducing threats to biodiversity, sustainable use and benefit sharing, and integrating biodiversity into public policies and the productive sector.
At COP16, held in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, countries assessed for the first time the progress since the signing of the GBF and made progress on important decisions, including: the creation of Cali Fund, The agreement included a mechanism through which companies in sectors such as cosmetics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and agrochemicals can contribute a portion of their profits to fairly share the benefits of using digital genetic sequences of biodiversity; the official recognition of the role of indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and Afro-descendant peoples in nature conservation; and the decision to create a joint work program between the three environmental conventions of Rio-92 – climate, biodiversity, and desertification – which will be led by Brazil. However, sensitive points remained open, such as the creation of a new global fund dedicated exclusively to biodiversity and the definition of clearer mechanisms for monitoring countries' compliance with the targets.
The themes that should dominate COP17
Based on the preparatory technical negotiations held throughout 2026, such as the meetings of the CBD's subsidiary bodies, SBI-06 (in Rome, in February) and SBSTTA-28 (in Nairobi, between July and August), the COP17 agenda should focus on:
- Mobilization of resources and financial mechanisms to enable biodiversity targets;
- Joint efforts between biodiversity and climate., in addition to technical topics such as invasive species, marine and agricultural health and biodiversity;
- Comprehensive review of collective progress from the Kunming-Montreal Framework, mapping achievements, gaps, and next steps;
- Guidelines for traditional territories and protection led by local communities, within the framework of Article 8(j) of the Convention;
- Integrating biodiversity into economic sectors, including the role of subnational governments and cities;
- Synergy between CDB and IPBES (Intergovernmental scientific panel on biodiversity), to ensure that global targets are guided by technical evidence.
The role of CEBDS at COP17
CEBDS monitors international biodiversity negotiations through its Thematic Chamber on Biodiversity (CTBio), structured around three areas of focus: Nature Positive (positive impact on nature), Good Practices and Conservation, It is Governance The latter is responsible for liaising with governments and participating in biodiversity COPs.
For COP17, CTBio's actions are organized into four strategic areas:
- Strategy and Impact Working with different stakeholders, mapping opportunities, and sharing best practices from the Brazilian business sector;
- Dissemination and Management of Knowledge Consolidation and translation of key content from COP17 (and also from the CMS, Convention on Migratory Species), through newsletters, thematic webinars and a content repository;
- Business Engagement Mobilizing member companies for active and qualified participation in the biodiversity agenda;
- CEBDS on the COPs' Radar Strategic and integrated monitoring of the three environmental COPs (Biodiversity, Climate and Desertification), with identification of priority themes and opportunities for action for the members.
The expectation is to continue the results obtained at COP16, when CEBDS led the call to action "Let's Act for Nature" and saw the official delegation of associated companies grow by 280% compared to COP15, now bringing together 42 companies from 17 different sectors, with particular emphasis on the growth of the energy and finance and development sectors.
Why does this matter to businesses?
The GBF has the potential to go beyond environmental conservation: it can accelerate the transformation of economic and financial systems towards a more equitable and nature-positive model, stimulating new business strategies and directing private investment towards clean jobs and business opportunities linked to the green economy. Closely monitoring the decisions of COP17 and actively participating in the process, as CEBDS has been doing, is therefore a way for Brazilian companies to anticipate a regulatory and market scenario increasingly driven by nature criteria.
