On 11 May, a meeting dedicated to the preparatory work for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in 2026, was organized in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 
During the briefing, Ambassador Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of Republic of Armenia to the United Nations; and Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity presented the vision of the COP17 presidency, the conference’s key substantive priorities and the ongoing organizational preparations.
The briefing highlighted the central role of COP17 in advancing the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including through the first global review of collective progress toward its implementation.
The discussions also addressed biodiversity financing, ensuring the meaningful participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, promoting stronger synergies among environmental processes, as well as practical organizational matters aimed at ensuring broad and inclusive participation in Yerevan under the “Taking Action for Nature” slogan.