📷📷 COP17 has officially begun in Yerevan. During the opening plenary session, Armenia’s Minister of Environment, Hambardzum Matevosyan, was elected President of COP17 for a two-year term, assuming responsibility for facilitating dialogue and consensus-building among Parties and advancing their collective work. From Armenia, a call for collective action to the world. 📷 For nature. For future generations. #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction

🖇 “It is precisely at this stage that leadership takes on particular significance. Let Yerevan be remembered not only as a milestone where we took stock of the progress achieved, but also as the place where we reaffirmed our commitment and determination to fully deliver on our pledges and charted a path toward the accelerated implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030.” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of COP17. #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction

🇦🇲🇺🇳 🌿 The COP17 Opening Ceremony: Where Art Meets Nature. The diversity of world cultures, the beauty of nature, and the power of the natural elements came together on stage, highlighting the inseparable connection between humanity and nature. The opening show carried a clear message: we are part of nature, and protecting its rich biodiversity is our shared responsibility. #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction

📜 🌿On 16 October, at the conclusion of the plenary session of the Leaders for Nature Summit, the Yerevan Declaration - Taking Action for Nature was delivered. The Declaration reaffirms commitment to the implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and achieve the vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. Full text is available below cop17yerevan.am/en/press-rel…

🌍🇦🇲 A new international initiative launched from Yerevan to advance species recovery Ahead of COP17, the Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species (CARES) was officially launched in Yerevan under the joint leadership of Armenia and Colombia. Sixteen countries have joined as founding participants, with the aim of accelerating practical action to prevent extinctions and support the recovery of threatened species. The initiative has also received public support from actor, environmentalist and Re:wild founder Leonardo DiCaprio, who highlighted the importance of achieving measurable results for species recovery. International efforts are also being supported by the Bezos Earth Fund. Through the Phoenix Species Project, implemented together with Re:wild, an initial USD 500 million commitment will support the recovery of 100 species that are Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild across 30 countries. This cooperation emerging in Yerevan brings together governments, the scientific community, conservation organizations and philanthropic partners around a shared goal: moving from preventing extinction to enabling species recovery. #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction

🇦🇲🇺🇳 The opening ceremony of the plenary session of the “Leaders for Nature” Summit, held in the context of COP17, took place at the Meridian Expo and Event Center in Yerevan. It was preceded by the official welcoming ceremony and group photo of Heads of State and Government and leaders of international organizations participating in the Summit. The Summit brought together high-level leaders and representatives of international organizations around the global biodiversity agenda, shared responsibility and the need to accelerate action toward 2030. Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan delivered remarks during the opening ceremony. #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction

Official opening ceremony of Armenia’s National Pavilion in the COP17 Blue Zone, with the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

🇦🇲🇺🇳Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia @NikolPashinyan greeted Secretary-General of the United Nations @antonioguterres upon his arrival at the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity in Yerevan. #LeadersSummit2026 #COP17Armenia

📌 Ahead of COP17, the United Nations flag was raised in Yerevan. The ceremonial flag-raising took place at the Meridian Expo Center, in the COP17 Blue Zone, marking an important milestone in the final preparations for the Conference. The ceremony was attended by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity; Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia; and representatives of government institutions and international organizations. The raising of the United Nations flag marks an important milestone in the preparations for the Conference, highlighting the cooperation between Armenia, as the host country, and the United Nations in advancing the international agenda for biodiversity conservation. From 19–30 October, Yerevan will host COP17, bringing together Parties to the Convention, international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to assess progress and advance collective action for biodiversity. 📍 Yerevan, Armenia #COP17Armenia #BiodiversityAction #ForAction