COP17 preparations discussed in Yerevan

ArmInfo. The Minister of Environment of Armenia, Hakob Simidyan, discussed preparations of the  Republic for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the  Convention on Biodiversity with a delegation led by the Executive  Secretary of the UN Convention Astrid Schomaker.  The conference is   scheduled for 2026.

As ArmInfo was informed by the press service of the Ministry of  Environment of Armenia, the Armenian Minister presented the work that  has already been completed in organizing COP17 and emphasized that  Armenia is making significant efforts to successfully host the  conference and demonstrate its results on the international stage.

In turn, Schhomaker noted that these efforts need to be doubled, as  the conference provides a unique opportunity to introduce Armenia,  its biodiversity and the measures taken to preserve it to the world.  In this regard, Shoemaker confirmed the readiness of the UN  Convention Secretariat to support the Armenian side in the  organizational work.

Issues discussed during the meeting included  reviewing and updating  the goals of the strategy and the National Biodiversity Action Plan,  as well as formats for cooperation with the Secretariat in  preparation for COP17. The parties also reviewed the participation of  the Armenian delegation in the resumed session of the 16th Conference  of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity (COP 16), held in  Rome.  At the end of the meeting, Simidyan and Shoemaker agreed to  continue cooperation aimed at achieving common goals and jointly  addressing pressing issues.