UN biodiversity summit opens in Yerevan amid a conservation funding gap and slow progress on 2030 nature targets

Summary

Nearly 200 countries are set to attend the UN Biodiversity COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, which opens on Monday. Governments will take stock of faltering progress toward the UN's 2030 nature targets and assess their progress on the 23 targets agreed at COP15 in 2022, which is the first time they have done so. RFI reports that wildlife populations are shrinking, protected areas are under threat from drilling and mining, and more money still goes into damaging ecosystems than into protecting them. The Guardian says the summit aims to push governments to meet those targets.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 04:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the Yerevan summit will assess governments' progress on the 23 targets agreed at COP15 in 2022 for the first time and aims to push them to meet those goals.

2. RFI

   19 Oct 2026, 05:12 UTCSource ↗

   RFI reports that almost 200 countries will attend the UN Biodiversity COP17 opening in Armenia on Monday to take stock of faltering progress toward the 2030 nature targets and confront the funding gap for wildlife conservation.