Diplomats negotiate Global Biodiversity Framework in Yerevan, aiming for $200 billion

Diplomats from more than 190 countries will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, next week for the 17th meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP‑17). The summit will open on 12 October and run for ten days, during which negotiators will hammer out a new post‑2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, financing rules and targets for protecting ecosystems. Carbon Brief has launched an interactive tracker that will display every amendment, amendment‑by‑amendment, as it is debated, giving journalists and the public a live view of the text’s evolution.

The meeting comes after a decade of accelerating species loss, deforestation and ocean degradation that have pushed the planet toward a sixth mass extinction. The 2022 Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework set ambitious goals for 2030, but many countries have missed their pledges and funding gaps remain wide. Pressure is mounting from scientists and civil‑society groups for stronger commitments, especially on nature‑based climate solutions and equitable benefit‑sharing with indigenous peoples. Yerevan was chosen partly because Armenia has pledged to double its protected area network and to host a regional hub for biodiversity data.

Negotiators will focus on three core decisions: a set of 30 measurable targets for 2030, a financing mechanism that aims to mobilise $200 billion a year for conservation, and a monitoring framework that links biodiversity outcomes to climate reporting. The interactive tracker shows which language is being proposed, who is backing each clause and how the text changes after each plenary session. Early drafts indicate a push for higher financial contributions from wealthier nations and clearer language on protecting marine habitats. NGOs have welcomed the transparency, saying it will curb last‑minute back‑room deals that have plagued earlier COPs.

If the parties reach consensus, the final text will be adopted at the closing plenary on 21 October and will be submitted to the United Nations for ratification. The agreed framework will shape national biodiversity strategies for the next decade and influence climate‑finance negotiations at future climate COPs. The live tracker will remain online for months, allowing observers to follow implementation and hold governments accountable to the promises made in Yerevan.