COP17: Convention on Biological Diversity
COP17 will be the seventeenth conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia between 19th October and 30th October 2026.
COP17 follows two major summits of the CBD in the last five years: COP15 in 2022 and COP16 in 2024. COP15 saw the pivotal agreement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which COP16 should have helped to deliver. Ultimately, COP16 was not able to reach a final agreement during the summit.
COP17 will be a crucial opportunity to get global action on biodiversity loss back on track.
This briefing sets out background information on COP17, the implications of the summit for environmental science, and how the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity fits into the wider context of biodiversity on an international and national level.
Our priorities for COP17
- COP17 should take an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework alongside other targets. One coordinated approach to climate, nature, and resilience would provide a clear vision that could be more effectively and efficiently realised than many small, messy transitions.
- COP17 should chart a clear course to delivery with a ‘Golden Thread’ approach to reconnecting environmental targets to credible outcomes.
- Work towards a positive vision of what delivering the framework could achieve, recognising the contributions that biodiversity makes to sustainable wellbeing, and showing the benefits for businesses and communities.
- Take an evidence-led approach, informed by experts across disciplines, like the IES Climate Action Community and the Environmental Policy Implementation Community.
Our policy team is actively working to support effective implementation of international commitments like the Global Biodiversity Framework, including through our Environmental Policy Implementation Community. For the latest developments on environmental policy on biodiversity and other topics, check out our analysis for Essential Environment.
Find out more
To find out more about the topic, you can read our briefing on the latest developments in land & nature policy. To support effective policy delivery at the national and local level, join our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC).
If you want to support the work of the IES, you can become an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider joining the IES.
Header image credit: © Studio Guémy | Adobe Stock
