In brief
At the 17th COP17 in Yerevan, negotiators agreed on the Yerevan Pathway, a strategy that does not set new targets but focuses on how countries can intensify efforts to meet the Kunming‑Montreal Framework’s 23 goals by 2030. The pathway highlights critical priorities such as acceleration of implementation, broadening national targets, strengthening financial support, and improving monitoring. Despite nearly $2 billion in new biodiversity funding announced, participants noted that financing gaps, national policy changes, and the need for sustained international cooperation still threaten the pathway’s success.
On Saturday, 1 November 2026, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) wrapped up in Yerevan, Armenia, with negotiators securing agreement on a new strategy known as the Yerevan Pathway. The plan is aimed at accelerating global action to meet the 23 targets of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which were adopted in 2020 and set a 2030 deadline for many of the World’s nations.
The conference’s primary task was to conduct the first global review of collective progress in implementing that framework. The review delivered a stark warning: without a rapid acceleration of implementation, the 2030 targets and the broader mission could not be achieved, threatening the framework’s longer‑term 2050 goals. In response, the Yerevan Pathway does not introduce new targets. Instead, it emphasizes how countries can shore up their existing commitments.
Priorities for 2030
Embedded in the global review decision, the pathway identifies several priorities for the period through 2030: accelerating implementation; broadening the coverage of national targets; strengthening financial and other support; engaging governments and societies more widely; and improving monitoring and knowledge. Negotiators also adopted decisions covering several key biodiversity areas, including protected areas and forest biodiversity; sustainable wildlife management; invasive alien species; marine and coastal biodiversity; and synthetic biology. The pathway is designed to ensure that every aspect of the Kunming‑Montreal Framework is effectively implemented, not simply met on paper.
Alongside the negotiations, nearly two billion U.S. dollars in new biodiversity funding was announced. According to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the fund includes $560 million under the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility and its Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, $500 million through the Species Recovery Alliance, and more than $330 million through the Value Nature Fund. Together, the decisions and funding announcements provide a concrete basis for governments to build capacity, finance projects, and track progress.
Despite these positive steps, the pathway’s success remains uncertain. Negotiators point to persistent financing gaps that remain a significant hurdle. Governments have highlighted that the scale of investment required to meet the framework’s goals far exceeds the funds announced. In addition, national policy changes are needed to align domestic laws and strategies with the shared international commitments. Continuous negotiations will also be required to resolve any lingering disagreements about the precise mechanisms for implementation and monitoring.
As the Pathway focuses on accelerating implementation, broadening coverage, strengthening support, and improving monitoring, the approach acknowledges that progress cannot be measured without robust data. Accordingly, the pathway calls for improved data collection and knowledge sharing, mechanisms for national and global reporting, and transparent indicators that can be tracked by parties and stakeholders alike. This is especially vital for the biodiversity sectors that often lack reliable evidence, including those regions where indigenous lands and traditional ecological knowledge play essential roles.
Overall, the Yerevan Pathway provides a focused response to the alarming warning that the global 2030 deadlines might be missed if ambition is not more rapidly translated into action. Its emphasis on implementation, financing, and multidisciplinary collaboration signals that the international community is aware that the mission to safeguard Earth’s biological diversity will not be realized without an unprecedented level of cooperation and commitment from all parties.
The next challenge for parties will be to turn the pathway’s priorities into tangible outcomes. This will require the sustained engagement of governments, scientists, and civil society—particularly those communities living directly in contact with nature—to ensure that biodiversity‐related policies are both effective and inclusive. The outcome of the Yerevan Pathway will be monitored closely in the coming years, as the world near the 2030 target needs a clear demonstration that its commitments are not merely aspirational but capable of being fulfilled with real, measurable change.
