Armenia to host UN Biodiversity Conference COP17 in 2026

Armenia has been selected to host the upcoming United Nations biodiversity conference, known as COP17, in 2026, as confirmed by the country's Environment Minister, Hakob Simidian on November 1.

The decision was made following a voting process in which Armenia secured 65 votes, Caliber.Az reports per Armenian media.

During a working visit to Colombia earlier this week, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan spoke at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia.

He expressed that hosting COP17 in Armenia presents an exceptional opportunity to further multilateral efforts aimed at safeguarding global biodiversity.

President Khachaturyan remarked, “Armenia will spare no effort to ensure that COP17 becomes another significant milestone in our global commitment to biodiversity preservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.”

Notably, the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) took place in Colombia, from October 21 to November 1, 2024.

Additionally, the 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-11) and the fifth MOP to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation (NP-MOP-5) also took place.

By Aghakazim Guliyev