IUCN President Urges Faster Biodiversity Delivery Ahead of COP17

Priorities set before COP17

At a Leaders' Summit on Biodiversity during pre-COP events in Yerevan on 16–17 October, IUCN President Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak said progress toward the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's 2030 targets remained inadequate. According to IUCN, she described progress as real but uneven and far too slow.

She outlined three priorities for COP17: turning the first global review of biodiversity progress into an action agenda; providing financing, expertise and capacity for implementation; and ensuring conservation delivers effective, equitable and measurable outcomes. She also called for stronger links between climate action and nature conservation, and for protecting primary and old-growth forests.

Local conservation in Armenia

On 17 October, Al Mubarak addressed the Yerevan Conservation Symposium, convened by the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets, which focused on Target 3: conserving at least 30 per cent of land and waters by 2030. She said success depends on effective management, ecological connectivity, equitable governance and benefits for nature and people, not only on the area conserved.

She highlighted FPWC's Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, a privately protected area that grew from approximately 500 to 30,000 hectares and safeguards habitat for the Persian leopard, Armenian mouflon and bezoar goat. She also recognised IUCN's eight Members in Armenia.

COP17 outlook

IUCN's wider delegation of Members, Commission experts and Secretariat representatives was to attend COP17 in Yerevan from 19 to 30 October. Al Mubarak's closing message was that global ambition depends on local action.