Road to COP17 Initiative
Duration: September 2025 to October 2026
Co-organizers: American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment, the Republic of Armenia (RA) Ministry of Environment, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Description: The Road to COP17 Initiative is a year-long series of activities to boost national awareness and capacities ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to take place in Yerevan in October 2026. The Road to COP17 initiative includes:
- Launch Event (September 12, 2025)
- Road to COP17 International Conference (October 7, 2025)
- Road to COP17 Professional and Technical Workshops (Various dates)
- Biodiversity4All (Various dates)
- Biodiversity Ambassadors (Fall 2026)
- Biodiversity4AUA (Fall 2026)
- LBSAP Studio 2026 (Spring 2026)
- Armenian Society of Fellows (ASOF) Annual Conference Session on COP17 (Spring 2026)
- Partnering with Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) and Armenian Youth Biodiversity Network (AYBN) (Summer 2026)
- CBD Coalition on Science Policy
Additional activities may be added in the coming year. For details on each activity, visit the drop-down sections below. ↓
Message from Astrid Schomaker, CBD Executive Secretary, on the launch of Road to COP17 in Armenia:
For questions or requests for collaboration, contact [email protected]
The Launch Event of the Road to COP17 Initiative brought together officials from government, civil society, the international community, academia, media, and the general public to kick off the year-long series of activities planned under the Initiative.
Speakers included the RA Minister of Environment, Mr. Hambartsum Matevosyan, the United Nations Armenia Representative, Ms. Francois Jacob, the Executive Secretary of the CBD, Ms. Astrid Schomaker, UNEP experts, and AUA experts and leadership.
The Launch Event also offered an opportunity to discuss the global biodiversity agenda and introduce Armenia’s new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for 2025-2030.
Launch Event agenda is available here.
Video message from Ms. Astrid Schomaker:
Full video of the Launch Event:
National TV coverage of Launch Event:
AUA Newsroom Coverage of launch event:
Road to COP17 Launched by AUA Acopian Center, MoEnv, and CBD Secretariat
The Road to COP17 International Conference, held on October 7, 2025, brings together representatives of government, academia, international organizations, and civil society from Armenia and abroad. The Conference will explore key biodiversity topics and experiences toward achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It will be organized around the four main goals of the Framework:
- Goal 1 – Protect and Restore
- Goal 2 – Prosper with Nature
- Goal 3 – Share Benefits Fairly
- Goal 4 – Invest and Collaborate
For each of these goals, the conference will offer talks by international and national experts.
The conference has received financial support from the European Union and the Government of Germany.*
The Conference Agenda is available through this link.
Conference presentations can be downloaded here.
Recording of the Livestream is here:
Welcome remarks by Astrid Schomaker for the Road to COP17 International Conference:
(*) The EU and German financial support for the Road to COP17 International Conference is provided from the “Decarbonization and Climate Resilience in the Eastern Partnership Countries” (EU4ClimateResilience) project, financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
May 20, 2026
Nature-based solutions for a nature-positive economy
The accelerating loss of biodiversity and the impacts of climate change represent two of the most pressing challenges facing economies and societies worldwide. These crises are deeply interconnected and must be addressed in an integrated manner. This online talk examines approaches that simultaneously protect, restore, and enhance biodiversity while contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation – demonstrating how such nature-based solutions can also create economic value. About the Speaker Dr. Thomas Probst is co-owner of planval, a company specializing in the sustainable transformation of regions, communities, and business ecosystems. planval is based in Switzerland, headquartered in Bern. The geographic working scope of planval is focused on Switzerland and the EU. Thomas studied landscape architecture and planning at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He earned his PhD in cultural geography with an analysis of policy approaches for sustainable landscape development in mountain regions. After working for the Alpine Research Institute in Germany and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, he joined planval to build bridges between research, policy, and practice. His main fields of work are climate change adaptation, nature-based value chains, and innovation management. In the FORACCA project, he is part of the planval team. Together with pilot communities in Armenia until 2028, they are prototyping a toolbox for climate-resilient development. About the Event The event is part of the Talks Series of the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment and the WSL FORRACA Collaboration, with the support of the Government of Switzerland. The talk is also presented within the framework of the Road to COP17 Initiative, a year-long series of activities in Armenia to boost national awareness and capacities ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Yerevan in October 2026.
April 30, 2026
Transformative Change for Nature Recovery
The panel discussion reflected on how transformative change — system-wide shifts across economic, social, and governance structures — is needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. Bringing together experts from policy, science, and practice, the session will examine pathways to address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss. It will highlight scientific evidence, on-the-ground examples, and the importance of local governments in implementing solutions. Speakers will also discuss how transformative change can be integrated into the agenda and outcomes of COP17.
About the Speakers:
Ana María Hernández Salgar — Former Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) & Transformative Changes Advisor, SNAP Québec
Sergio Aranguren — Technical Coordinator of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Colombia
Garabet Kazanjian — Freshwater Ecologist, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment
Moderator: Alain Branchaud — Executive Director, SNAP Québec
This event was part of the talk series “From Montreal to Yerevan: An Armenian-Quebec dialogue on the path to COP17,” organized by the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment and la Société pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP Québec). The event is hosted within the framework of the Road to COP17 Initiative, a year-long series of activities in Armenia to increase national awareness and capacities ahead of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to be held in Yerevan, from October 19 to 30, 2026.
April 2, 2026
Biodiversity in the City
Dr. Marco Moretti of WSL talks about how urban systems can sustain functional and resilient biodiversity, focusing on three key factors identified in current ecological research: the presence of large green spaces, the quality of urban green areas, and their ecological connectivity. Using Zurich as a model system, it also examined the opportunities and challenges of maintaining these conditions in the context of increasing urban densification, a strategy widely used to limit urban sprawl into surrounding rural landscapes.
March 26, 2026
How to Make a Biodiversity COP Matter
The panelists discussed expectations for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to be held in Yerevan in October 2026, as well as lessons learned and achievements from COP15 in Montreal. Important focus was on how to develop transformative, innovative, and effective approaches to COP17 and the multitude of opportunities that follow. Panelists include Steven Guilbeault, former Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Canada, and co-host of COP15 Montreal; Alice de Swarte, Strategy Advisor, SNAP Quebec; and
Aram Meymaryan, Deputy Minister of Environment, Republic of Armenia
February 26, 2026
Planning for urban biodiversity: Lessons from Swiss municipal land-use plan revisions
Local land-use planning plays a key role in shaping urban and peri-urban landscapes, influencing how biodiverse, healthy, and resilient cities are. In Switzerland, municipalities use building and zoning regulations to define where development can occur and which areas should be preserved as green space. Yet, little is known about which biodiversity-friendly standards are adopted and when they are introduced during plan revisions. The talk will share insights from the Swiss experience as a basis for dialogue on how local planning systems can better support biodiversity conservation.
November 29
Reporting COP17: a meeting with journalists and editors
The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, the RA Ministry of Environment, and The Armenia Project (TAP) organized a meeting with journalists and editors with the support of the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation and the United Nations Office in Armenia. The meeting aimed to present the preparatory work for COP17, as well as the story with which Armenia will present itself on the international stage.
View coverage of the event here.
November 26
Biodiversity Citizen Science Megaprojects Roundtable
The American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment hosted a roundtable discussion led by Dr. Jaume Piera, a research group leader for the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council. During the discussion, faculty and researchers from universities, teachers from local schools, and representatives from local NGOs discussed the possibility of organizing large-scale citizen science events in Armenia, particularly in preparation for COP17.
AUA Newsroom article here.
November 19, 2025
Co-evolution of the Earth’s Biosphere and Geosphere: Past, Present, and Future of a Living Planet
This public lecture examined how biology and geology co-evolved to bring us to the present state and where the planet is headed. The lecture was presented by Dr. Dork Sahagian, professor of earth and environmental sciences at Lehigh University and researcher studying paleoclimate, volcanology, geodynamics, hydrology, and the environmental impacts of human activities.
November 12, 2025
Sustainable Management of Forests and Grasslands– what we should know
The public lecture “Sustainable Management of Forests and Grasslands– what we should know” was organized by the Road to COP17 Initiative in partnership with the Nature Conservancy Agency of the Czech Republic. The lecture examined methods of understanding natural and human-induced disturbances and discussed long-term monitoring of managed and strictly protected habitats.
November 11, 2025
Protected and Conserved Areas for the Success of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Agenda: Success in Armenia
The Road to COP17 Initiative organized the workshop “Protected and Conserved Areas for the Success of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Agenda: Success in Armenia” in partnership with the Nature Conservancy Agency of the Czech Republic. The workshop aimed to enhance the capacities of these key stakeholders on topics related to protected and conserved areas, their management effectiveness, and their importance in achieving the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
October 24
Remote Sensing Analysis of Vegetation Height and Land Cover in Armenia
AUA Acopian Center for the Environment hosted the Launch Event for the three-year collaboration between the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment and the Forest Restoration and Climate Change in Armenia (FORACCA) project. The event showcased the activities planned for the collaboration and featured the inaugural talk in the FORACCA Talk Series, delivered by Dr. Dominik Braunschweiger.
View the project webpage here.
Future events
The Road to COP17 Initiative will continue to organize events aimed at gathering diverse stakeholders, such as government, private sector, youth, and scientists, to prepare for COP17. Lectures and workshops will cover topics like the Nagoya protocol, biodiversity in the tourism sector, and science-policy cooperation and knowledge platforms in COP17.
For questions or suggestions, write to [email protected].
The Biodiversity4All offers short learning videos on COP17, Armenia’s role, and the global and national biodiversity agenda. The videos will be accessible to the general public and targeted sectors of society, in line with the ‘whole of society’ approach, and will emphasize practical, concrete actions that individuals and enterprises can take in the context of COP17 and to support biodiversity.
Additional details will be posted soon. If you have any questions, please write to [email protected].
The Biodiversity Ambassadors program, planned to be a collaborative effort between a consortium of universities in Armenia, is envisioned to prepare university students to serve as roaming ambassadors who can engage in welcoming CO17 delegates and guests, provide information in public spaces, organize bioblitzes in their communities, and more. Details of this program is available at the initiative’s webpage: https://ace.aua.am/projects/aucb-kensadespan/
Biodiversity4AUA will be an informational and engagement campaign directed to the American University of Armenia (AUA) community, including students, staff, and faculty. Details of this program will be available by summer 2026 for delivery by the start of the fall semester 2026.
AUA students in the ESS 240 Sustainable Cities course offered in Spring 2026 took part in a Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (LBSAP) Studio 2026 on how to bring the global biodiversity agenda to the local level. Fifteen universities from eight countries joined the LBSAP Studios 2026 initiative. The studios, led voluntarily by the participating institutions, were held as standalone offerings or integrated into the universities’ existing undergraduate or graduate curricula. For additional details, visit the initiative webpage below.
On June 18, as part of the 2026 Annual Conference of the Armenian Society of Fellows (ASOF) held in Dilijan, Armenia, the American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment led a session dedicated to Armenia’s preparations for the upcoming 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17).
For more, visit: https://newsroom.aua.am/2026/06/30/aua-acopian-center-leads-discussion-cbd-cop17-asof-annual-conference/
From July 20 to 24, 2026, young environmental leaders, students, and biodiversity advocates from across Armenia gathered at the American University of Armenia (AUA) for the “Youth Pathways to Harmony with Nature: Learning and Action for COP17” workshop. The workshop brought together more than 35 participants for an intensive program combining learning, reflection, dialogue, and practical action. Organized by the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) and the newly established Armenian chapter of the GYBN, Armenian Youth Network on Biodiversity (AYBN), in partnership with the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Armenia, the workshop aimed to strengthen youth knowledge, leadership, and participation in biodiversity policy ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
For more, visit: https://newsroom.aua.am/2026/08/13/aua-acopian-center-partners-gybn-young-leaders-workshop-ahead-cop17/
The AUA Acopian Center joined the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Coalition on Science and Policy (CSP) and is actively engaged in organizing the Science Policy Forum to be held at the COP17’s Blue Zone on Oct 24 and 25, 2026.