High-Level Segment (3rd meeting), UN Convention on Biodiversity – COP 17

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, good morning. I call to order the second day of the high-level segment. Please have your seats. I hope you have enjoyed Armenia's hospitality, and I understand we have started very early with important breakfast discussion events. As a reminder, the informal ministerial consultations on issues benefiting from high-level consideration take place in parallel this morning in RP Room, contact group 1. In three sessions starting at 10, 11, and 12, they are closed-door meetings, open to ministers and heads of delegation plus one. Delegations who have not picked up your access cards, please do so at the table in front of Contact Group 1. I now will present summary of the statements from the first day of high-level segment. The high-level segment saw parties reaffirm their commitment to the KMGBF, while acknowledging that progress remains too slow to meet its 2030 targets. Finance featured prominently, particularly calls to deliver on the commitments under Target 19 of the KMGBF. New funding announcements were made, including the contribution of €50 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund by Germany. Parties also placed strong emphasis on reforming harmful subsidies and scaling up positive incentives, as well as strengthening fair and equitable benefit sharing, including through the further operationalization of the Cali Fund. Parties also reported progress on updated NBSAPs and national targets, while emphasizing stronger participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and greater synergies across conventions. Many also highlighted their country's unique biodiversity and its connections to livelihoods, culture, and identity. And as we have a very busy day ahead of us, let's continue with the delivery of statements following the list of speakers. I remind you that statements are limited to three minutes and that you must press the button when I call your name for the technicians to open your microphones. So the first three speakers will be from Slovenia, Austria, and Cabo Verde. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Toni Kaiser, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Thank you very much. Good morning to everyone. Mr. President, distinguished delegates, let me warmly thank you, our Armenian hosts, for hospitality and leadership. Biodiversity is the base of healthy ecosystems, human well-being, and resilient societies, and Slovenia comes to Yerevan to discuss our joint action for nature. COP17 is the moment when the global framework must move from commitments to deliverables. Slovenia sees the global review as an opportunity to assess our collective progress. Slovenia is a biodiversity hotspot. The Alps, the Kars, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean meet there in Slovenia. Around 40% of Slovenia is under nature protection, and forests cover more than 60% of our territory. At home, our national nature protection Program to 2030 serves as our biodiversity strategy and action plan. Our current Natura 2000 management program turns the framework targets into action. We are finalizing the National Nature Restoration Plan with measures and priorities for all ecosystems, and we are integrating biodiversity into agriculture, forestry, water management, tourism, and spatial planning. Water links all of this. There is no biodiversity without healthy rivers, wetlands, and aquifers. Slovenia is currently chairing the Water Convention. With our partners in the Green Group, we promote water as the center of climate and biodiversity action. Our experience illustrates that conservation, where possible, costs far less than restoration. A good example of cost-effectiveness is nature-based solutions in the area of flood prevention. Another good practice is the Slovenian Nature Information System. This publicly accessible digital platform with an integrated catalog of plant and animal species brings together relevant organizations in support of decision-making. We are ready to share our know-how with our partners. Ladies and gentlemen, implementation also needs adequate resources from all sources. New financial commitments should be practical and proportionate, in particular for smaller countries. A clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a recognized human right. Our every target should be judged by whether it helps people live healthier lives on a healthier planet. To conclude, Slovenia asks for three things from this COP: an honest global review, finance that reaches the communities that need it, and partnerships that turn innovation into results. Slovenia stands ready to contribute to this positive outcome. Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Norbert Totschnig, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, Austria. Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Thank you very much, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. At the outset, let me thank our hosts and the Armenian co-presidency for their leadership in bringing us together here in Yerevan. Austria certainly looks forward to a strong outcome in the Yerevan pathway. This pathway must become a milestone on our collective journey to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. COP17 takes place at a critical juncture on our way to achieving our global biodiversity commitments. For the first time, we systematically look into the measures taken by the Parties. This is the moment to take stock of the progress toward the 2030 targets. in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In 2022, Austria adopted a new biodiversity strategy 2030+. aligned with the global biodiversity framework. This strategy contains more than 100 goals and measures to further biodiversity conservation and restoration in Austria. Austria's national report to the CBD concludes that we have made good progress in many fields of biodiversity conservation. We have been investing in biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, sustainable forest management, and water ecology measures. Tackling biodiversity loss in a broad and horizontal manner has proven a successful approach in Austria. While we need to continue our efforts to reach all our goals, let me highlight some concrete examples of implemented biodiversity measures across the sectors. protected areas. With more than 29% protected areas, Austria is close to achieving the global target of at least 30%. Our six national parks alone cover approximately 3% of our territory and provide vital refuges for species and ecosystems. Second, on agricultural lands, 250,000 hectares are specifically designated as biodiversity areas. This constitutes more than 10% of our total agriculture area. These areas support pollinators, soil health, and habitat connectivity, and show that agriculture and biodiversity can go hand in hand. Third, financing. We have a National Biodiversity Fund, which is designed to mobilize and direct resources toward measurable biodiversity outcomes. For the period 2021 to 2026, €80 million have been dedicated to this national fund. Austria also assumes its international responsibility. In 2025, Austria provided more than €50 million to support developing countries in their efforts to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework and we mainstream biodiversity in our development cooperation. Dear colleagues, the Global Biodiversity Review at COP17 is not just a technical exercise, it is a political moment of truth. It will show whether we are living up to the promises we made in 2022. Austria believes that the Year of Ambassadors should include a robust mechanism for tracking progress, for enhancing support to those who need it most, and for collectively closing gaps that still remain. Let us use this conference to move to move from words to action, from fragmented efforts to genuine partnership, and from short-term thinking to a long-term vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050. Austria stands ready to do its part. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to Mr. Carlos Alberto Ramos Valera, Minister of Climate Action, Environment, and Energy. Cabo Verde, and the next speakers will be Sweden, Mexico, and Hungary. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Good morning, Mr. President, distinguished delegates, Excellencies. Cabo Verde congratulates the COP17 Presidents of Romania for its leadership and thanks the government and the people of Romania for their warm welcome in this beautiful city. For Cabo Verde, biodiversity is the foundation of our sustainable development. It supports our food security, blue economy, climate resilience, cultural heritage, and the well-being of our people. Protecting biodiversity is protecting our future. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has provided us with a clear global roadmap. Our challenge is implementation. Cabo Verde is committed to implement its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. We are working to strengthen biodiversity monitoring, protect and restore ecosystems, and interlink biodiversity conservation with climate action and sustainable ocean governance. However, effective implementation depends on the availability of adequate and sustained resources. We are a big ocean state, as well as the ocean represents 99% of our territory. As a SEAD, we continue to face challenge in securing predictable, adequate, and timely financial resource access to appropriate technologies and sustained technical support. Addressing these gaps, it's essential to strengthening our capacity to protect biodiversity and effectively monitoring progress. We therefore call for increased biodiversity finance, more accessible funding mechanisms, strengthening scientific partnerships and technology transfers aligned with national priorities, especially for the countries and communities that need it most. Cabo Verde has already embarked on innovative solutions with the potential to generate important benefits for biodiversity. As examples are the debt conversion, initial establishment with Portugal to support climate and environmental investments, which offers opportunities to mobilize resource for natural risk conservation and ecosystem protection, the blue bounds and the green bounds. The silences, biodiversity loss, climate change, and ocean degradation are deeply interconnected challenges that require coordinated and mutually reinforced responses. In this regard, we commit to strengthening synergies among multilateral environmental agreements, including the Paris Agreement and the BBNG, is essential to reinforce international cooperation, promote policy coherence, and ensuring that efforts under different frameworks complement each other and accelerate progress towards our shared global goals. Success will be measured by the ecosystems we protect and restore, and by lives we improve. Let us leave Yerevan with a shared determination to turn commitments into measurable results for people and nature. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Your Excellency. And now, I give the floor to Mr. Daniel Westlund, State Secretary to the Minister for Climate and the Environment Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, Sweden. Please, you have the floor, Sweden.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, thank you, Armenia, for your generous hosting of COP17. Sweden and Armenia have a strong bilateral cooperation. Together, we will try to build an inclusive, nature-positive, just, and green transition in Armenia. Ladies and gentlemen, biodiversity is fundamental to healthy ecosystems, food security, our economies, and human well-being. Sweden remains committed to implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Sustained action is needed to maintain momentum towards achieving the goals and targets, while taking national circumstances into account. We need broad mobilization of resources and engagement, and ambitious and effective implementation of the framework must be grounded in solid scientific evidence as well as traditional knowledge borne by indigenous peoples and local communities. The IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment provides important insights and key messages. The private sector has a vital role to play in delivering solutions that reduce biodiversity-related impacts and risks across value chains. The Nordic Pavilion at COP17 demonstrates the commitment of Swedish businesses, as well as Swedish Development Cooperation partners, to biodiversity action. Swedish development cooperation builds capacity, strengthens engagement, and mobilizes resources. It serves as a lever for whole of society action. Indigenous peoples and local communities are central to the conservation and sustainability use of biodiversity. in the arrangements for the new subsidiary body of matters related to Indigenous Peoples and local communities under the Convention, we must ensure their full and effective participation. At the same time, we must safeguard the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. Finally, joint action is key. By bringing together efforts under the CBD and the BBNJ agreement, we are strengthening the protection of the world's ocean. When we address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution in an integrated manner, our efforts become more effective. Through our development cooperation in Armenia, we strengthen the conservation of high-value ecosystems such as wetlands, delivering multiple benefits for nature and people. That is an example of this integration in practice. By conserving nature, we protect the foundations of our health, prosperity, and a sustainable future. Thank you.

I thank the State Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Sweden, and now I give the floor to Ms. Marina Robles García, Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Environment Restoration of Mexico.

Please.

If you can press the microphone button to the right. Now it's ready.

Thank you very much.

Excellencies, distinguished delegations, we thank the Government of Armenia for their hospitality. Mexico participates at this COP under the environmental leadership of our President, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum. with an unwavering institutional conviction that biodiversity conservation is indivisible from social justice. I also would like to share the paternal greeting of Alicia Barzana, the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources of our country. Our environmental policy is based on a fundamental premise: only when human communities have their fundamental needs met will it be possible to transition towards the sustainable restoration and conservation of our natural heritage? The viability of our ecosystems depends on the behavior, the dignity, and the well-being of the people, of the peoples who are the custodians of these ecosystems. Strictly in line with the global commitments we have undertaken, Mexico confirms its commitment to and progress in the 30 by 30 goal, and we can report substantive progress in implementing our national biodiversity strategy. This is a legislative framework which has been strengthened now by the publication of our National Environmental Restoration Program. which was designed to reverse environmental deterioration in the most vulnerable regions of our territory. In terms of ocean and territorial governance, we are pleased to report that we've created a specialized body for the integrated management and conservation of oceans and coastlines. In addition, Mexico is launching the creation of marine and terrestrial prosperity zones. This initiative doesn't just safeguard our heritage in a lasting manner, it also is aligned with the criteria of other effective area-based conservation measures. Thus, it encourages sustainable development models that include the participation of local populations. Dear colleagues, the environmental crisis calls on us to overcome traditional geopolitical limits in order to build partnerships and work for our shared future. The recent signing of the Calakmul Declaration to create the biocultural corridor of the Great Maya Jungle between Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala is a striking example of commitment and cooperation. It is irrefutable proof that partnerships and joint work between nations is what will build the future. and not division or confrontation. Faced with the challenges of the KMGBF, Mexico reiterates its call for the international community to prioritize multilateralism and cooperation. Likewise, we reiterate the importance of ensuring full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities. Dear colleagues, creating global policies that recognize with empathy that protecting nature will only be effective if its ambition and final goal is equality and human dignity. Thank you very much.

I thank the Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration of Mexico for her statement. Now I give the floor to Mr. Levente Korosi, State Secretary for Biodiversity in the Ministry for the Living Environment of Hungary. Please.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I have the honor to address this plenary on behalf of Hungary. As a country from the Central and Eastern European region, it is particularly important for us to gather here in Yerevan. We thank Armenia for organizing COP17 and for its outstanding commitment, hospitality, and leadership in guiding this event towards a successful outcome. This COP marks an important milestone as we conclude the first global review of collective progress under the KMGBF. For Hungary, the framework serves as a compass, helping to guide our national efforts and ambition. Allow me to highlight some recent developments in Hungary. First of all, I am proud to share with you that after the recent parliamentary election, the new Hungarian government decided to establish an independent green ministry, the Ministry for the Living Environment. This sends a strong political signal on the importance of environmental governance and reflects the growing societal expectations for ambitious action on biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental degradation, while also supporting the implementation of Target 14 of the framework. The Ministry has a central role across biodiversity conservation, water management, climate policy, environmental protection, waste management, and circular economy, ensuring that environmental considerations are properly integrated into the government decision-making processes. Secondly, regarding target 10 of the GBF, forest policy has been placed under the responsibility of the State Secretariat for Biodiversity. This is a historic milestone which has never happened in the past. This provides a huge opportunity to mainstream biodiversity considerations into forest management. Our objective is to phase out commercial logging in ecologically valuable forests, ensure strict protection of old-growth forests, and promote continuous cover forestry, which is increasingly essential in the context of climate adaptation. We have already made important steps towards this objective. Thirdly, the impact of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in Hungary. This has reinforced our commitment to Target 8 of the GBF, with water retention, ecosystem resilience, and climate adaptation emerging as key priorities in our national policies and investments. Finally, in support of Target 2, Hungary takes nature restoration very seriously. We are in the process of preparing our National Nature Restoration Plan, which is to be finalized next year, and we will immediately move forward with its implementation. These efforts clearly demonstrate our country's dedication to translate global commitments into concrete action and accelerate implementation. As we enter the final days of COP17, Hungary remains committed to find consensus solutions that can accelerate implementation of the GBF. Thank you.

I thank the State Secretary for Biodiversity of Hungary for his statement. Now I give the floor to Ms. Buri Thas, Permanent Secretary of Nature Resources and Environment of Thailand.

Good morning, Mr. President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Royal Thai Government, I wish to express our sincere appreciation to the government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality and hosting this COP17. Thailand welcomes the global review of collective progress in the implementation of the Kunming Country All Global Biodiversity Framework. Identify implementation gaps and barriers will assist us in adopting appropriate solution to accelerate our actions and enhance mean of implementation to achieve the 2030 targets and 2050 visions. We are actively implementing our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, in which there will be integrated into the upcoming National Economic and Social Development Plan to ensure policy coherence and transition towards nature positive and resilient future. Excellency, the Royal Thai Government is working closely with private sectors, civil society, and local community to increase our protected area and OECM. In doing so, we emphasize on promoting iconic species conservation and nature-based solution. We are progressing with the development of our first national biodiversity act and working towards the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, reaffirming our commitment to a fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources. Recently, we have also successfully issued a sustainability-linked bond with the KPI of climate target under our NDC. and biodiversity target of 30 by 30. Next, we will explore how biodiversity credit can mobilize public and private investment to deliver measurable biodiversity outcome. Excellencies, despite our progress, managing invasive alien species remain our key challenge. Stronger international cooperation, information sharing, and coordinated actions are needed to tackle this transparency issue and prevent illegal and unintentional cross-border movement. Thailand stands ready to work with all parties and partners to fulfill the 2030 framework and for the survival of humanities and mankind. Thank you very much.

I thank the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand. And now I give the floor to Mr. Joao Manuel do Amaral Esteves, Secretary of State for Environment of Portugal.

Mr. President, Excellencies, dear colleagues, bom dia. Allow me to begin by congratulate the Republic of Armenia on hosting this COP 17. Four years after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biology Framework, we must accelerate the implementation of our decisions. Important progress has been achieved, yet progress remains insufficient. COP17 must serve to reinforce political ambition and to accelerate concrete action on the ground. Portugal is fully committed to this effort. We are strengthening our natural instruments to the strategy of nature, conservation and biodiversity, and our national plan for nature restoration. Portugal has fully designated 61 special areas for conservation within the Natura 2000 framework. Through several programs, we are restoring rivers, streams, coast, and bringing nature back into urban areas. We are also committed to recovering threatened species like the Bering wolf and the lynx. Portugal supports strong ocean protection and implementation of IC. treaty contributed to 30% protection by 2030. Within the Azores Marine Park and the Rei Don Carlos Marine Nature Reserve, we expect to bring around 20% of Portugal marine areas under protection. We are also for to the first cup of the IC treaty as an important milestone for global auction protection. Excellencies, biodiversity finance must increase from all sources, including private sector. Portugal supports effective implementation of the multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits from the use of digital sequencing information.

We also underline the importance of strengthening.

Synergies between and among Convention on Biodiversity entities, Rio Convention, and other multilateral environmental agreements. International cooperation remains central to our approach, including with Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr. President, COP17 must send a clear message. accelerate implementation, promote sustainable use of biodiversity, mobilize resources, and deliver tangible results for nature and people.

Thank you.

Obrigado.

I thank the Secretary of State for Environment of Portugal for his statement. Now I give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Monique Barbou, Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature of France. Please.

Chair, ladies and gentlemen, four years after the historic adoption of the KMGBF, we are not on the right path to stop the loss of biodiversity by 2030, as we have seen by the clear messages shared with us by science. According to IPBES, one million species, fauna and flora, are threatened with extinction. To deplore this is not only to deplore the richness, the wealth of the world which is disappearing, but the The fall of the living, if you will, is a direct threat for our security and our prosperity, because if the ecosystems crumble and are degraded, we will disappear with them, probably. 70% of flying insects in Europe have disappeared over the course of the last 20 years. It's the pollinators and our food security that are at stake as a result of this. And the conclusion is very clear. We are not talking only about the survival of small fishes or dragonflies, but we're talking about our own survival. Now, in this context, how can we survive? We have to have a very clear, very sincere, transparent stocktaking. which is clearly insufficient. And for France, that involves a number of pillars, the first of which is to integrate biodiversity in all of our public policies. It has to be embedded in them. France has put in place ecological controlled by the Prime Minister, and it is on this basis that we have built our biodiversity. The second lever is the reorientation of the public and private financial sources. We can already act on public financing by doing away with the subsidies which damage biodiversity. We've adopted a green budget in France, which makes it possible to identify these, and we have a national plan to reduce them. We also have to mobilize each and every one of the international financing sources. France is playing its part. We've mobilized 1.4 billion euros to support biodiversity in 2025. However, facing the growing needs, it is clear that we have to extend the basis of the contributors and donors, which has not been changed for the last 20 years, whereas the world has changed. In practice, the countries of the G7 represent 70 percent of the contributions to the Fund, and half of the bilateral financing rests on four donors or contributors. This necessary broadening doesn't mean that we want to reduce our own contributions, but we wish to see the total of financing for the most vulnerable increased. Let me conclude by stressing the necessary consistency of our action with the COP. the climate, which will open in two weeks. According to the IPCC, 90% of corals could disappear in a world that's at 1.5 degrees C, and even more than that in a 2% world. If the corals disappear, it's the ecosystems and the human communities which depend on them that will disappear along with them. So it is absolutely essential for this COP and the following COP to come up with a message of mobilization. That will be what France will do. And I thank you very much.

I thank the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature of France for her statement. Now I give the floor to Mr. Claudio Barbar, Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security of Italy.

Mr. President, Executive Secretary, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, First, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Armenian Presidency for the excellent organization of this 7th meeting of the Conference of the Parties and for the warm hospitality extended to all delegations. I would also like to thank the Secretariat of the Convention of the continued support of the work of the CBD and the implementation of the Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. COP 17 marks an important step in the implementation of the framework. We are called upon to endorse the first global review of its implementation based on the 17th national report submitted by parties. The results show significant progress. Many parties have updated their national biodiversity strategies and action plans and strengthened their governance frameworks. At the same time, the review confirms that current efforts are not yet sufficient to achieve the 2030 targets and the 2050 vision. Our priority must now be to translate the framework's ambition into concrete and measurable results. In this context, national action remains essential, and Italy is fully committed to this effort. First, we continue to strengthen our protected area system, a cornerstone of achieving Target 3. Italy is now close to meeting the 30% target, with 22% of its territorial territory already protected, a share that is expected to increase further, while protected areas cover 26% of international water, and 30% of the ecological protection zone. We are all stepping up ecosystem restoration efforts in line with Target 2. Italy has recently finalized a draft national nature restoration plan, which sets out objectives, measures, and priorities for the restoration of degraded terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems through to 2050. The plan represents an important tool for delivering biodiversity commitments at both the European and global levels. Italy also places great importance on integrating biodiversity into economic and financial politics in line with Target 18. The Global Review highlights the Italian experience as a relevant example in this regard. Between 2022 and 2023, Italy phased out several fossil fuel subsidies harmful to biodiversity, achieving the annual reduction of more than 280 million euros in environmentally harmful subsidies and contributing to a better alignment of financial flows with the objectives of the framework. These achievements demonstrate the importance of a whole government approach and ensuring coherence across sectoral policies. Grazie mille. Thank you so much.

I thank the Secretary of State of Italy for his statement. Now I give the floor to Mr. Hugo Moran, Secretary of State for Environment of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of Spain.

Excellencies, delegates, Spain subscribes to the statement that was made by the EU and its member states. We find ourselves at a pivotal point for the protection of biodiversity. The urgency of this task has been reaffirmed by the recent IPBES report that says that the window for stopping and reversing the loss of biodiversity is closing quickly. The advances we have achieved thus far are very good, and we can be satisfied by them, but we have further challenges and we have to maintain this ambition and we have to speed up the pace. Spain exceeded 22% of its marine protected area and 30% of the land area. However, our action to support biodiversity cannot be limited solely to the protection of areas and species. We understand it as a cross-cutting policy which has to be based on tools such as the ecological restoration, the wetlands plan to 2030, or the restoration of nature plan, the idea being to make sure that this is based on the best scientific data. We continue to strengthen the integrated system for biodiversity and increasing the monitoring programs of habitats and land and marine species. I'd also like to mention the progress made in the area of public-private partnerships through the Spanish initiative involving enterprises and biodiversity. At the national level, Spain has earmarked more than 1.4 million euros to actions for the restoration of biodiversity. biodiversity over the course of the last few years. And on the national level, cooperation of Spain for development is greater than the portion of biodiversity by more than double the baseline for 2020. In addition, we've contributed with 10 million euros to the Global Biodiversity Fund, and we've made a contribution of 50 million euros for the new ninth cycle of the GEF. The loss of biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and no country will be able to face it alone. Multilateralism is the best tool to build collective responses to challenges that go across borders. The Convention on Biological Diversity is an expression of this common willingness. This is why we have to act in a determined way based on science, strengthening international cooperation, and bringing together all sectors of society. with synergies of the three Rio Conventions. Thank you very much.

I thank the Secretary of State for Environment of Spain for his statement. Now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Fahmi Bin Shubrak, Vice Minister and Chairman of the Environment Protection Authority of Yemen.

Thank you, Mr.

President, ladies and gentlemen, Executive Secretary of the Biodiversity Convention, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to express my appreciation for the people and government of Armenia, thanking them for hosting this very important conference. I'd also like to thank the Secretariat of the Convention for their extraordinary efforts. We are meeting here four years after the adoption of the KMGBF. A real challenge now that we face, not just to reiterate our commitments, but to transform these commitments into concrete action, which is financed and strengthened with capacity building. Mr. Chair, the Republic of Yemen has great biodiversity: mountains, plains, coastal areas, islands, including the Socotra Archipelago. places that are very important for biodiversity. This natural heritage faces considerable challenges in the face of climate change and the deterioration of environmental systems, not to mention wars launched by the Houthis and the resulting economic crises. Despite these challenges, we have prepared our Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030 in line with the international framework. It reflects our national priorities for nature protection and biodiversity restoration. It seeks to strengthen the livelihoods of communities as well. The first review of the implementation of the framework should be an opportunity to address existing gaps between ambitions and capacities. We must prioritize least developed countries affected by crises, ensuring they have adequate financing, technology transfer, and capacity building. We'd also like to highlight the importance of environmental protection, whether the marine environment or the terrestrial environment, through strengthening of DSI systems in order to protect the rights of developing countries and their local communities. Mr. Chair, we welcome the Yerevan Declaration to strengthen complementarities between environmental protection and climate work, as well as sustainable development. Once again, we would like to reiterate our willingness to cooperate with international partners in order to transform our ambitions into concrete programs. In conclusion, we hope that the Yerevan conference will lead to real change towards concrete results. The protection of biodiversity is a shared responsibility, and its success depends on our efforts so that nobody is left behind. Thank you.

I thank Vice Minister and Chairman of Environment Protection Authority of Yemen for his statement. Now I give the floor to Mr. William Fernando Leon Morales, Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources of Peru.

Gracias.

Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Republic of Peru, I'd like to thank the Republic of Armenia for its hospitality and for its able leadership of this COP at a pivotal moment, the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Peru is a megadiverse country of the Andes and the Amazon. Peru is moving from commitment to action. In 2024, we updated our National Biodiversity Strategy through 2050, and this year we adopted its Action Plan through 2030. Both of these are aligned with the KMGBF. I'd like to highlight our progress on 19 other effective area-based conservation measures covering nearly 1 million hectares managed by indigenous communities and private actors who see nature as an asset for development. We are also advancing the restoration of 3.2 million hectares of degraded land and safeguarding our genetic heritage across 12 agrobiodiversity zones, These results are possible thanks to the indigenous peoples, entrepreneurs, scientists, and public servants who share a vision of a Peru whose prosperity is rooted in its biodiversity. However, we want to move faster, and the main gap continues being financing. Thus, as a mega diverse country, we call for the full delivery of the commitments under Target 19 to scale up financial resources and improve access to them. We are convinced that the private sector, given clear rules and incentives, can be a powerful driver of change. We must also strengthen synergies across the biodiversity, climate, and desertification agendas. Peru is promoting public-private collaboration through an integrated territorial approach. Mr. President, Peru supports the Yemavan Hub for biodiversity monitoring and stands ready to share its experience. Let us keep working together. so that by 2030, our achievements outweigh our challenges. Thank you.

I thank Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources of Peru. Now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Narend Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment of South Africa.

Thank you very much. Excellencies, South Africa expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government and people of the Republic of Armenia for their warm hospitality and the arrangements made to host this important conference in the city of Yerevan. Mr. President, allow me to share a few reflections. South Africa is a megadiverse country. endowed with distinctive landscapes and ecosystems, and high levels of endemism, including species found nowhere else on Earth. Our long-standing commitment to conservation is exemplified by the centenary of the Kruger National Park, celebrated in May this year, an important milestone in our national conservation journey. Our biodiversity action is underpinned by a robust policy and legislative framework, informed by scientific evidence through periodic national biodiversity assessments and enriched by traditional knowledge. Whole of government and whole of society approaches are central to these efforts. Mr. President, on 22nd May this year, South Africa was honoured to host the global flagship celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity. We bring to this conference a message conveyed on that occasion by primary school learners whose performance expressed a compelling appeal for stronger action to safeguard biodiversity and their future. Their message gives a human dimension to the implementation challenges highlighted in the report on the state of biodiversity action and reminds us of our shared responsibility to future generations. Mr. President, COP17 marks a pivotal moment as we undertake the first global review of collective progress towards the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We welcome Aminya's emphasis on taking action for biodiversity. In this spirit, we recall that at COP15 in Montreal, we agreed to an ambitious framework and commensurate means of implementation from all sources as mutually reinforcing elements of a shared undertaking. In the state of biodiversity action, a recurring concern across the gaps, challenges, and barriers to implementation is the availability of and access to adequate means of implementation, particularly financial resources, capacity building, technical cooperation, and technological transfer. South Africa firmly believes that accelerating implementation towards 2030 requires concerted efforts to address these constraints with the provision of financial resources remaining central. The KMGBF articulates our collective ambition. Translating that ambition into tangible outcomes requires strengthened delivery on commitments, including fulfillment by developed country parties of their obligations under Article 20 of the Convention. The report finding that only 12 out of 25 countries are meeting the obligations underscores the need for renewed efforts to address this gap. South Africa is making voluntary contributions and welcomes similar efforts by other developing country parties. South Africa therefore calls for biodiversity finance that is adequate, predictable, accessible, and timely. We urge developed country parties to scale up public, grant-based, and non-debt creating finance in fulfillment of their obligations under Article 20 of the Convention. As we look towards 2030, we must translate the shared commitment into accelerated action that enables transformative change. In closing, Mr. President, South Africa calls for the full and effective operationalization of the KALI Fund, with priority access for developing countries, meaningful representation of indigenous people and local communities, and dedicated support for capacity building and technology transfer. Advancing the three objectives of the Convention and implementing the KMGF will require sustained political resolve, greater policy coherence, and accelerated action at all levels. Let us reaffirm our commitment to translating our shared ambition into tangible outcomes guided by equity, solidarity, and the spirit of international cooperation. I thank you.

I thank you, Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Noyer Adi Gordojo, Deputy Minister of Environment, Indonesia. Indonesia, you have the floor. Please, Excellency.

Thank you, Chair. Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Indonesia extends its sincere appreciation to the government and the people of Armenia for their warm hospitality and leadership. The referendum must mark a decisive turning point for implementation. Indonesia has taken concrete steps to translate its commitments through the Indonesia Petrostate Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2045, aligned with the framework, which sets out 20 national targets integrated into our national development plans, with progress monitored at both national and subnational levels. For Indonesia, biodiversity is an integral pillar of sustainable national development. Mr. President, Indonesia wishes to underscore three key messages. First, coherence. Biodiversity, climate, and land must be addressed at an integrated agenda. Indonesia supports enhanced synergies among the Rio Conventions across terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems through coherent policies and concrete implementation. Second, benefit sharing must be fair and real. We call for timely operationalization of the Cali Fund, taking into account the needs of megadiverse developing countries. Developing countries should receive adequate support to build capacity and benefit from DSI, with equitable benefit sharing involving indigenous peoples and local communities. in accordance with national legislations, while respecting national sovereignty over genetic resources. Third, finance must match our shared ambition. Megadiverse developing countries bear substantial costs in conserving global biodiversity. We urge developed country parties to fulfil their financial obligations. At the national level, Indonesia is strengthening biodiversity financing through improved public resource allocation, biodiversity budget tagging, and ecological fiscal transfers, while exploring innovative mechanisms such as high-integrity biodiversity credits and blended finance. Mr. President, the Global Review underscores the urgent need to accelerate implementation. Indonesia welcomes the Yerevan Call to Action with due consideration to national circumstances and priorities, and stands ready to work constructively with all parties for a balanced, practical, and inclusive outcome. Thank you.

Thank you, Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri. Vice Minister of Agriculture and the Environment, Vietnam. Your Excellency, you have the floor. Please, please press the mic.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Vietnam would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Government of Armenia for its warm hospitality and for hosting COP17 and related meetings. Excellencies, Vietnam is one of the world's most biodiverse countries with rich and diverse ecosystems, ranging from tropical forests and wetlands to marine ecosystems. Vietnam considers that the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are not only national priorities, but also a shared responsibility and an important contribution to global efforts to protect our planet. In recent years, Vietnam has translated the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into national targets. We have implemented comprehensive and coordinated conservation measures, integrated biodiversity conservation into climate change response and sectoral development, and mobilized society as a whole to participate in biodiversity conservation. For Vietnam, effective implementation of the KMGBF requires not only strong national commitments, but also adequate means of implementation and close cooperation within the international community to enable concrete actions. Therefore, Vietnam emphasizes the importance of implementing the following actions: First, translate the outcomes of the Global Assessment into concrete priorities and actions, address implementation gaps, strengthen and improve the quality of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans, while enhancing mechanisms for monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. Second, strengthen the means of implementation. Adequate, predictable, and accessible financial resources, together with capacity building and technology transfer, are essential, particularly for developing countries. Third, strengthen regional and international cooperation, promote scientific and technical cooperation, and facilitate the sharing of data, knowledge, and practical experience. Excellencies, Vietnam stands ready to work with all parties and partners to translate commitments into concrete actions for biodiversity towards a sustainable future for people and nature. In closing, I wish all distinguished delegates good health and every success, and I wish COP17 a fruitful and successful outcome. Thank you.

Thank you, Excellency. Thank you. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Chipiliro Brian Bopanga-Jira, Malawi. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the government and people of Malawi, I wish to join my fellow governments in thanking the government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality, and also to thank the COP17 Presidency for good leadership of this conference. Malawi remains firmly committed to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Our third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is now our national roadmap. But plans alone do not protect nature, as we are required to implement these plans. Nevertheless, implementation must be matched by means of implementation, which amongst others include predictable and accessible financing, capacity building, technology transfer, and practical support for developing countries. Without these enablers, our ambitions will remain on paper. The Nagoya Protocol deserves renewed political attention. Access and benefit sharing must work in practice and must deliver fair and equitable benefits to the provider countries and communities that sustainably use and conserve biodiversity. On digital sequencing, Mr. Chair, our focus must be on the effective implementation of agreed decisions and on meaningful benefit sharing, while supporting developing countries to participate in science, technology, and biodiversity-based innovation. Malawi supports self-organisation of the CARIFAN through meaningful contributions from commercial users and of digital sequence information. We call for the indicative contribution rates to be retained, for the certificate provisions to be clarified so that national sovereignty is safeguarded, and for a transparent and equitable interim allocation methodology consistent with the Decisions 15/9 and 16/2. On Article 8A, Malawi supports the five United Nations, your political regional groups, as the basis for equitable representation. This preserves the unity and inclusivity of indigenous peoples and local communities, and avoids marginalizing local communities under the seven regions of the permanent forum. Finally, COP 17 must help countries to accelerate the implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans and of the framework. Its outcomes must create links between national priorities, finance, and measurable results. Excellencies, Malawi stands ready to work with all parties and partners to turn the commitments we make here in Yerevan into tangible action on the ground for people and for nature. I thank you.

Thank you, Excellency. And now I give the floor to his Excellency, Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Guerrero Ruiz, Vice Minister of Environmental Policies and Standardization, Colombia. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

President, distinguished ministers, excellencies, on behalf of His Excellency, the President of my country, Mr. And Mr. Incap, we would like to thank Armenia for hosting this conference. The loss of biodiversity threatens water, food, and the well-being of our people, livelihoods, and to protect and extend territories under our vision of water and biodiversity and communities. COP17 must turn the commitments into results. We have four priorities we'd like to put forward. The first one is sufficient financing, effective access. We urge everyone to find new resources which are predictable and in accordance with Article 22 of the Convention. Resources from other sources must complement and not substitute or replace the obligations of developed countries. We acknowledge the GEF and we would like to have opportune or timely disbursements and no overlapping, maintaining open the options in accordance with decision 16/34. Number two, accelerate the GBF. It must be constructive, it must be solution-oriented, respecting national circumstances. The Yerevan path must turn into actions that are backed up by financing, transfer of technology, and strength capacity building. Colombia is moving along on its plan to 2030. To take action for nature means turning commitments into deliverables. There are after 3 months of our government, we have been advancing towards our national target, which is to conserve 33% of the territory. We have marine areas, a control of invasive species, and positive incentives to increase investment in biodiversity. Thirdly, with our view of water, biodiversity, and communities, the subsidiary body of Article 8A must guarantee balanced representation of indigenous persons, Afro-descendants, and local communities, recognizing their contribution to conservation. Number four, a just and equitable distribution of benefits. The DSI system must guarantee effective benefits for the conservation and the communities respecting national sovereignty over genetic resources. We have to act without weakening the principles of the Convention, and our responsibilities are shared responsibilities, but our capacities and obligations are differentiated. We do not need less ambition for the environment. We need more means and make this possible. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now please, Excellency Mr. Dong Baotong, Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment, China. And next speakers will be Türkiye, Netherlands, Iran. Thank you.

Mr. President, Ministers, Delegates, The Chinese delegation appreciates the Government of Armenia and the Convention Secretariat for their thoughtful arrangements. I am delighted to join you in Yerevan to discuss global biodiversity governance since the adoption of the Kunming-Montréal Framework. Political commitment has continued to grow, protected areas expanded, forest loss declined visibly. Mangrove coverage reversed a downward trend, and half of the monitored wildlife remained stable or increased. For global efforts and multilateralism, this year is a major victory. China integrates biodiversity conservation into advancing ecological civilization and a beautiful China, pioneers the ecological conservation redline system, and promotes a protective area system with national parks as its mainstay, protecting over 30 percent of its terrestrial territory. Through a series of biodiversity conservation and restoration projects, national ecological quality improves. Nearly 500 species of wild fauna and flora have been placed into lower threat categories, while over 300 rare and endangered ones steadily increase. The framework implementation process is halfway through. It gaps exist between global progress and objective. I wish to talk about three points. First, focus on biodiversity management, reforming harmful subsidies, mainstreaming, and other lagging areas. Transform the review results into actions with clearly defined responsibilities, pathways, and the timelines. Second, innovate biodiversity financing models and expand diversify the funding. Developed countries should accelerate for fulfilling their commitments to expand the financial support for developing countries. China will continue utilizing the Kunming Biodiversity Fund to support conservation calls in developing countries. Third, enhance monitoring, evaluation, and data sharing to support science-based decision making. DSI benefit sharing should balance open data access with sovereignty over resources. respect the data rights of developing countries, and rationally define enterprise responsibilities. China will continue to deepen cooperation with all parties to implement the framework on the ground and co-build a better future where humanity lives in harmony with nature. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Abdulkadir Polat, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Türkiye. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Thank you.

Distinguished Ministers, distinguished delegates, I thank the Government of Armenia, the COP17 Presidency, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity for their efforts in preparing this meeting. We are at an important stage in the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The first global review shows that efforts have increased over the past four years. However, the current pace of progress is not yet sufficient to reach the 2030 targets. The gap between implementation needs and available means remains. COP17 should therefore focus not on adding new layers to the framework. but on making implementation more effective, measurable, and responsive to national circumstances. In this context, we highlight four priorities. First, the link between national strategies and implementation must be strengthened. Agriculture, forestry, water management, and land use have a direct impact on biodiversity. Türkiye is updating its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in line with the global framework. Our aim is to build an integrated implementation framework that strengthens scientific evidence, monitoring capacity, and institutional coordination. Second, means of implementation must be strengthened. The amount of finance matters, but so does the effective and accessible use of existing resources. Through the BioFin project, implemented in cooperation with UNDP, we are assessing our financing instruments and preparing our national biodiversity finance plan. No single approach to resource mobilization fits all countries. Capacity building, scientific and technical cooperation, and knowledge sharing are as important as finance. Third, we must focus more on quality in area-based conservation. Conservation success cannot be measured by area coverage alone. Ecological representativeness, connectivity, effective management, restoration, and long-term monitoring are equally important. These elements are key to the implementation of Target 3. Fourth, The relationship between diversity, biodiversity and climate change should be better reflected in implementation. Our aim is not to merge different processes. By respecting the mandate of each convention, we can achieve more coherent results where they intersect. Ecosystem restoration, sustainable land and water management, and nature-based approaches offer important areas for cooperation. Türkiye regards its rich biodiversity both as a natural heritage and as a responsibility towards future generations. We support the balanced advancement of the three objectives of the Convention. The success of COP17 will depend on our ability to turn the findings of the Global Review into practical policies. Our priority is not to produce more policy documents, but to strengthen implementation, establish a reliable monitoring system, and achieve concrete results on the ground. Turkey will continue to contribute constructively to the work under the Convention. I thank you.

Thank you, Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency, Mr. Jaimit van Essen, Minister of State for Environment, Netherlands. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my first COP as minister, and such an honor and such a responsibility, and not just for me, but for all of us entrusted with nothing less than the future of life on our planet. At COP17, we are asking ourselves: what progress have we made under the Global Biodiversity Framework? And crucially, how do we act? Dutch prosperity has long depended on intensive land and water use, but this approach can only take us so far. We know now that future prosperity depends on giving nature not only space to recover, but thrive. Nature policy alone won't be enough. Agriculture, housing, infrastructure, they all must play their part. And our impact on nature doesn't stop at our borders. Much of our footprint lies along international supply chains. Time for change. Reinvent how we produce, how we consume, and invest. And that means tackling deforestation, using resources more efficiently, building sustainable food chains, and taking responsibility across value chains. With business reducing its impact on nature and finance focusing on biodiversity. Time for change means action. So the Netherlands is acting. We're developing a national biodiversity finance plan and reviewing which subsidies and tax breaks actually harm nature. We're revising our national biodiversity strategy and action plan, and we're implementing the European Nature Restoration Regulation. We contribute 124 million euros to the Global Environment Facility, and we support partners through bilateral cooperation and our global counselor network. We joined the Friends of Credits for Nature and Biodiversity initiative and launched this COP17 to further explore innovative financing instruments. And BioFin helps countries develop finance plans and attract private investments. We want to explore how we can reduce our international footprint together with like-minded countries, sectors, and businesses, and call upon other countries to join us in this effort. We want to accelerate sustainability in land use, energy, water, and ecology, so that we can operate within planetary boundaries and improve our global footprint. Cooperation also means listening, especially to the very people who live in the ecosystems we're trying to protect. That means respecting the rights and knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities, including women and young people. Only a whole-of-society approach, indeed a whole-of-globe approach, will keep our countries on the path to a nature-positive future. The Netherlands is committed to acting, knowing we need to step up our game. global biodiversity framework gives us a shared direction, the challenge now is shared action. So let's help each other out. Thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to Mr. Hamid Zorabii, Deputy Head of Natural Environment and Biodiversity, Department of Environment, Iran. You have the floor, please. Thank you.

Excellencies, esteemed ministers, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed members of the global biodiversity community, good morning. It is a great pleasure and honor to be here with you at this important gathering. As Yacht said, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the government and people of the Republic of Armenia for their warm hospitality and gracious welcome. Distinguished colleagues, despite accounting for only approximately 1% of the world’s land area, the Islamic Republic of Iran is home to 2.7% of the global biodiversity. Parts of two global biodiversity hotspots – the Caucasus and the Irano-Anatolian hotspots – also extend into the country. Iran is home to more than 45,000 vertebrate and invertebrate animal species and over 8,660 plant species. Asiatic cheetah, Persian leopard, Persian fallow deer, Persian onager, Lilium ledebourii, and many other valuable species exemplify this rich natural heritage. Agricultural biodiversity is also an integral component of Iran’s biodiversity, playing a vital role in ensuring food security, enhancing climate resilience, and sustaining agricultural production. Like other parts of the world, Iran’s rich natural heritage faces serious threats. However, in addition to the usual pressures, the recent armed conflicts imposed upon our country have further exacerbated the situation, inflicting extensive damage on natural areas, including protected areas and biodiversity conservation These conflicts have damaged parts of Iran-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot and jeopardized the integrity, ecological connectivity, and resilience of protected areas, as well as the health and livelihoods of local communities. Despite these challenges, the Islamic Republic of Iran remains fully committed to the Convention on Biological Diversity, guided by the long-standing cultural tradition of protecting nature and its overarching national policies and legislation. Iran continues to make every effort to fulfill its national commitments in a timely and effective manner and to advance the objective of the Convention. Iran has revised its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans in alignment with the coming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through a fully participatory process based on a comprehensive and inclusive approach, with particular attention to women and young people, and an emphasis on strengthening synergies among multilateral environmental agreements. In this regard, the Strategic Council on Biodiversity was established. Iran's revised national biodiversity strategies and action plans were subsequently approved by the Supreme Council of the Environmental Protection, chaired by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Participatory monitoring and conservation of flagship species, the development and implementation of species-specific action plans, the establishment of specialized national implementation of species-specific action plans, the establishment of specialized national working groups and expert committees, the expansion of wildlife rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation center, and the implementation of species recovery programs are among the major measures we are pursuing to protect our valuable species and contribute to the global mission of halting and reversing biodiversity loss and preventing species extinctions. Regulations and guidelines to promote the participation of local communities and the private sector in biodiversity conservation has been adopted. In addition, species programs have been developed for the conservation of montane ecosystems and biosphere reserves. Furthermore, by expanding protected areas on the basis of their biodiversity values and improving the effectiveness of their management and ecological connectivity and resilience of protected areas, as well as the health and livelihood of local communities.

Oh my God.

با اشاره به هدف ۱۹ چهارچوب.

جهانی تنوع زیستی کومینگ مونترال و ماده ۲۰ کنوانسیون تنوع زیستی مایلم تأکید کنم که از تمامی اعضا انتظار.

می‌رود که اهداف جهانی یکسانی را محقق سازند و به زمانبندی‌های مشترک برای اجرا پایبند باشد

باید امکان دسترسی عادلانه منصفانه به هنگام و متناسب با واقعیت‌ها اولویت‌ها و شرایط

کشورهای در حال توسعه به منابع مالی فنی و فناوری و ابزارها و امکانات ضروری برای اجرای.

Ladies and gentlemen, when any part of biodiversity is harmed, it is as true as true a wound has been.

In.

I didn't read the part of.

It.

Can you? Thank you. I just want to inform that we lost the interpretation at the end of the speech. Thank you. And I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Luri Walter Souza dos Santos, Secretary of State for the Environment, Angola. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, distinguished President of the Conference, Madam Deputy Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to express on behalf of the Republic of Angola that the country is committed to advancing to the coming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. I thank the Commission of the 17th Conference of the Parties and the Government of Romania for the good organization. Excellencies, Angola has made extensive progress in biodiversity conservation. We are close to achieving the seventh environmental conservation area and are advancing in the protection of marine biodiversity. On January 14, 2026, we achieved a great goal: the designation of Lisi Malyamono as Angola's first wetland of international importance, covering approximately 53,670 square kilometers square, which will contribute to the water sustainability of the Okavango region. With over 6,000 species of flora and 6,000 of fauna, Angola is committed to contributing to the global ambition of conserving 30% of the planet by 2030. We also highlight highlight the recovery of our endemic species, the emblematic Gentsbale antelope, whose population currently exceeds 130 individuals. Excellencies, progress brings new challenges. Wildlife recovery can intensify conflict with communities, demonstrating that conservation must go hand to end with local development and the creation of sustainable livelihood. The Plan NABU 2026-2030 demonstrate the country's ambition to integrate biodiversity into development policies. However, we are aware that we need funding, capacity building, scientific knowledge, and international cooperation to move forward. We also strengthen regional cooperation, notably in the TFCA Caza, the Congo Basin, and the Iona Skeleton cross-border initiative. Climate change is already affecting our country. Therefore, we are preparing instrument for managing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting forest conservation, mangrove restoration, and renewable energies. Ladies and gentlemen, we are convinced that it's perfectly possible to transform global ambition into national action, benefiting nature and communities. We rely on our national and international partners to achieve climate mitigation objectives together. Thank you very much.

Okay, good.

Yes.

So the interpreters can translate. Thank you very much. I now give the floor to His Excellency Minda Adjako Agoutan, Vice Minister in charge of Waters, Forests and Wildlife, Benin. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Excellencies, President of COP17, Honorable Delegates, ladies and gentlemen. The Republic of Benin would like to sincerely congratulate the Republic of Armenia for organizing the COP17. We express our thanks for their warm welcome and hospitality. COP17 is a decisive moment in order to achieve the goals that we have set ourselves for 2030. Benin therefore calls for transforming international commitments into concrete, measurable, and sustainable results thanks to strengthened cooperation. In order to address challenges related to biodiversity conservation, Benin has undertaken reforms that constitute major progress in terms of managing protected areas and biodiversity, covering roughly 29.7% of our national territory. The mobilization of financial resources that are sufficient, accessible, and sustainable continues to be an essential precondition for the success of the KMGBF. National efforts are indispensable and will continue. However, they are not enough to meet all the needs. Benin therefore invites partners to honor their commitments and to strengthen their financial support, as well as their technical and technological support for developing countries. And we also call for easier access to financing, strengthening national capacities, and promoting transparent, effective, and equitable mechanisms. When it comes to DSI on genetic resources, Benin would like to highlight that there's a need to strengthen capacities of all countries to allow them to participate fully and effectively in operationalizing the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism, in particular the Cali Fund. This strengthening should address technical, scientific, legal, and institutional competences which are necessary for access, use, and increasing the value of this information. It's also important to support countries in implementing transparent, equitable Transparent and equitable governance modalities are adapted to their national context to ensure effective contribution from users and a fair sharing of resources from the Fund, keeping in mind the specific needs of developing countries, indigenous people, and local communities. Benin therefore expresses a wish that COP17 will lead to realistic, balanced, and operational decisions that will accelerate the implementation of the KMGBF, strengthen synergies between biodiversity and climate, and provide concrete responses to the challenges our countries face. The success of this conference will be measured in the implementation of its decisions and the tangible decisions that these will lead to for nature and populations. Together, we can make our planet our shared home where nature is preserved, people live with dignity, and present and future generations can prosper in a healthy and sustainable environment. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Gustavo Sobrinho Guedes, State Secretary for Land and Environment, Mozambique. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Saludos.

Our greetings to the President of COP17. We would like to thank Yervan, Armenia for hosting the convention. Mozambique is a very diverse country and We have, for this reason, we are concluding the review of our national strategy for biodiversity in line with the KMGBF. And we have four priorities under this that we would like to share with you. First of all, the expansion and management of conservation areas. In the marine areas, we've designated 4.68% as protected area, and our target is to reach at least 12% by 2030. This is why we are implementing the plan for the management of maritime space, and we're putting the finishing touches on the strategy for the increasing of marine conservation area, which includes the OECMs. Here we have 29% of the territory which is protected, public-private systems there as well. Participation of communities. Our legislation guarantees that 20% of the forests and fauna are earmarked for local communities. In parallel with this, we have updated the regulation on the equitable distribution of benefits derived from genetic resources. Now, as far as the conflicts between humans and fauna, we are trying to come up with alternative arrangements. As far as the research and monitoring, the country has set up a center for the coordination, follow-up, and monitoring of fisheries of the SADC, which makes it possible for us to monitor our waters. Now, as regards financing, Sustainable financing and cooperation. In that area, we have trust funds with a legal framework for the compensation in the area of biodiversity. However, it is essential for access to these funds to be made more simple, and multilateral mechanisms for financing must be transformed as well. To reaffirm our commitment with the conservation, sustainable use of natural resources and the equitable distribution of our benefits, we are determined to bring our part to the KMGBF and for it to be fully implemented by 2030. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Petros Varelidis, General Secretary for Natural Environment and Water, Ministry of Environment and Energy. Energy, Greece. Your Excellency, you have the floor. Please.

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, first of all, I would like to thank Armenia for its warm hospitality and its leadership in this COP. Greece strongly supports the shift and full implementation of the UNAMME Multilateral Biodiversity Framework. We are updating our national biodiversity strategy and action plan to ensure that it fully reflects the commitments agreed at COP15. Ladies and gentlemen, the biodiversity and climate crisis are interconnected. They amplify one another and cannot be addressed effectively in isolation. Protecting and restoring nature is essential to conserve biodiversity and strengthen our resilience. Greece calls for closer coordination on vast biodiversity conservation. Nature-based solutions should be embedded in national policies and international commitments, with practical action focused on ecosystem restoration, protection of marine and terrestrial habitats, and the sustainable use of natural resources. These efforts should be guided by long-term thinking, cooperation across sectors and borders, and clear accountability. Commitments, however, must be matched by action. Greece now protects about 18% of its marine waters and about 28% of its territorial area. At the 2024 Ocean Conference in Athens, Greece announced the creation of two major marine parks in the South Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea. These are not paper parks. They have very tangible measures. Bottom trawling will be prohibited in these parks, which are to be formally established by the end of 2026. By their establishment, we raise our marine territorial waters that are under protection from 18% to 36%. Alongside the existing Natura 2000 terrestrial sites of the country that we intend to extend in 2027, these actions place Greece within reach of 30 by 30 target by 2027, three years earlier than 2030. Your Excellencies, progress will also require adequate funding, including private capital, stronger international partnerships, and the active involvement of all parts of society. We must turn shared commitments into lasting results. Time is running short. We must act with urgency and determination, working together to protect and restore nature. Let us ensure that future generations inherit a healthy, sustainable, and biodiverse planet.

Thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Ivo Martin, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Czechia. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates. It's an honor to address you today on behalf of the Czech Republic. Let me first express my sincere appreciation to Armenia for hosting this conference and for its warm welcome and hospitality. We convene at a time when the world's biodiversity is under immense and growing pressure. In a world of economic uncertainty and growing pressure on natural resources, protecting and restoring nature is an investment. in our security and prosperity. Healthy ecosystems sustain farming, help retain water, and protect communities from floods and droughts. Our task here is clear: to turn the coming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into practical results. The Czech Republic is working to contribute to this effort. We have adopted a new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan aligned with the global framework. In preparing them, we involved the sector responsible for putting the measures into practice. Agriculture, forestry, water management, and other sectors have shaped the actions they will now deliver. Our experience is clear: environment ministries cannot achieve this alone. Progress depends on shared responsibility and the commitment of those who manage our land and nature resources. It also depends on setting targets that we can put into practice. Ambition must be supported by clear responsibilities, realistic measures, and means to act. Agreement on strategy is only the beginning. What matters is its implementation. The Global Review should help us identify where progress is falling short, understand the obstacles, and share solutions that work. The Czech Republic is ready to contribute its experience and learn from others. The success of our effort will be measured by healthier ecosystems, restored landscapes, and more secure water supplies. Let us use this conference to strengthen cooperation and turn our shared commitments into lasting results for nature and for people. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Your Excellency. And now I give the floor to Her Excellency Ana Gloria Guzmán, Vice Minister of Water and Marine Governance, Costa Rica. Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Mr. President, distinguished authorities, heads of delegation, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. On behalf of Costa Rica, allow me to express our deep gratitude to the Government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality. And to thank the Secretariat of the Convention for their organization, their commitment to making this conference a reality. We are at a decisive moment. The KMGBF sets out ambitious commitments for 2030. The Global Review must help us to identify gaps so that we can transform ambition into action and accelerate its implementation to achieve concrete, real results. Costa Rica has decades of experience in participation, legislation, scientific knowledge, where biodiversity is the foundation for prosperity of our country. We have been able to protect 30% of our marine territories, roughly 150,000 square kilometers. And we are approaching having 30% of our land territory being protected. Now our challenge is to ensure effective management, environmental connectivity, and the recovery of priority species, balanced with sustainable development. When it comes to ocean protection, we are making progress in terms of marine governance through spatial planning and the development of an integrated ocean approach. We know that protecting mangroves, deep sea, coral areas, and others involves the sustainable management of natural resources. And all of this is crucial for climate management and the well-being of coastal communities. At the same time, we must strengthen synergies between multilateral environmental agreements. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are interconnected crises, and they require integrated responses. We need healthy ecosystems in order to achieve our conservation and climate action and economic development goals. We are finalizing our third national biodiversity strategy aligned with the KMGBF, ensuring that it includes in a cross-cutting manner biodiversity and development. We want to ensure that this has verifiable results. We need to consolidate scientific information, we need solid data and constant monitoring in order to keep track of the health of environments. We need to mobilize greater national, public, and private resources, together with international cooperation, technology transfer, and accessible financing. And that is why this conference needs to contribute to closing the long-standing gap between ambitions and means of implementation. Excellencies. Costa Rica reiterates its commitment to implement ambitiously the KMGBF, undertaking all necessary responsibilities in order to conserve, restore, and use sustainably our biodiversity on land and at sea. We call for a strengthening of cooperation, acceleration of resource mobilization, promotion of evidence-based decision making, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, and for consolidation of robust monitoring and transparency mechanism. Because conserving biodiversity means protecting our health, our economy, and our resilience, and the well-being of current and future generations. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Excellency. And now I give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Nuri Jumashov, Deputy Minister of Environment Protection, Turkmenistan. Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Distinguished President, distinguished ministers and heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Convention of the Secretariat for the high level of organization of this conference. For Turkmenistan, addressing challenges of biodiversity conservation, combating desertification, and adaptation to climate change is of particular importance. Under the leadership of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, environmental protection is considered not just an environmental objective, but also a crucial prerequisite for sustainable development. In his statement at the Leaders’ Summit on October 16, the President of Turkmenistan reaffirmed our country's firm commitment to the goals of the KMGBF. Turkmenistan possesses rich natural resources, unique natural landscapes, and exceptional flora and fauna. According to available national data, the number of registered species in our country exceeds 20,000. Our country is consistently strengthening our national nature conservation system. paying particular attention to the preservation of rare and endangered species, protecting their habitats, and improving management mechanisms for natural areas. A new national biodiversity strategy and action plan has currently been prepared. It fully takes into account the global targets of the KMGBF. An important practical milestone in fulfilling our commitments is our seventh National Report on Biodiversity, which will soon be submitted to the Convention Secretariat. This document clearly reflects our real results, accumulated experience, and future priorities. At the heart of our attention is conservation of rarest species: the Caucasian leopard, the kulan, the goitered gazelle, the markhor, the urial sheep, the houbara bustard, and many other representatives of our unique wildlife and the plant kingdom. As part of achieving Target 3 of the KMGBF, Turkmenistan is carrying out large-scale work to expand the network of specially protected natural areas and to introduce other effective area-based conservation measures, OECMs. Projects to establish new nature reserves and sanctuaries are underway in various regions of the country, such as the Balkan Nature Reserve and the Lesser Balkan, Usturt, Pitnyak, and Taly Merjen sanctuaries. We prioritize not only expanding protected areas, but also increasing the efficiency of their management and the scientific support for them. Distinguished colleagues, the transboundary nature of many environmental processes means that we need to further strengthen regional and international cooperation. The conservation of migratory species, the protection of interconnected ecosystems, the fight against soil degradation, and adaptation to climate change all require coordinated actions by states, the exchange of reliable information, and the development of joint scientific and practical initiatives. One of the practical steps in this direction is Turkmenistan's initiative to establish a regional center to combat desertification, which we view as an open platform to coordinate actions, exchange technology, and implement joint projects to preserve ecosystem resilience for the benefit of all Central Asian countries. Dear participants of the conference, Turkmenistan reaffirms its readiness to continue working consistently on the conservation of biodiversity, the protection of natural ecosystems, the improvement of national environmental protection mechanisms, and the strengthening of international cooperation in this area. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Excellency. And now I give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Hiba Ubaid Al-Shahhi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life, United Arab Emirates. Your Excellency, you have the floor, please.

Thank you very much, Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, Excellencies, I greet you on behalf of my country, and I'd like to thank Armenia and the Secretariat for having organized this COP17. We believe that the protection of nature is closely linked to food security and the survival of our people. We need evidence, and this is why we have a national strategy by 2030, which is in line with the global framework. We have put this program together, which is also in line with our national priorities, which is to make our society more independent, resilience of our society as well, and the protection of biodiversity. We're on the right path, and in fact, we have stepped up the pace of these efforts, and we now have to review the achievements and the progress that we have made. Currently, our natural reserves represent 18% of our territory, without counting the fact that we have also protected the marine areas. We've planted more than 75 million trees, which we find in the mangrove ecosystems. Moreover, we wish to protect the maritime species that are endemic. Moreover, the trees that we find in the mangroves play an extremely important role in the protection of ecosystems. Today, 48 countries are cooperating alongside us in the framework of an exchange of information, knowledge, and in addition, we have organized and participated in a summit which brought together the countries of our region on this subject. Now, of course, all of this is very closely linked with fight combating desertification, with combating climate change. We must step up the pace of implementation. This is why we require financing that is lasting and that is predictable. As far as Mohammed Zayed goes, we are able to have funds that are able to protect. threatened species, not only in our country, but also in the rest of the world. We have to strengthen the capacity, build capacity of developing countries, and in order to have a transfer of technology. Also, we have to bring in all stakeholders, including youth. We're ready, Mr. President, to continue this and to restore ecosystems and to guarantee a good future for generations in the future.

Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Marine Life of United Arab Emirates. Excellencies, distinguished ministers, heads of delegation, distinguished colleagues, before we continue with national statements, I would like to invite the intervention of a few organizations that are joining us today. We will then resume national statements in our afternoon session at 3:00 PM. I now give the floor to Madame Ivana Zivkovic, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director, Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States of the United Nations Development Programme.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. UNDP recognizes there is simply no sustainable human development without nature, but safeguarding nature requires addressing the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss, conservation and restoration effort. cannot succeed if the economic system and development decision driving nature loss remain unchanged.

These drivers are embedded.

In how we produce food, manage land and water, develop infrastructure, consume resources, and structure economic incentives. Reducing demand requires well beyond environmental ministries. It requires transforming the policies, investment, and practices that shape our economies. This is the central ambition of UNDP's Nature Pledge, which calls for three fundamental shifts. First, a shift in values. Recognizing nature as a foundation of sustainable development and ensuring that its contributions to people and economies are reflected in national priorities. Second, a shift in finance, aligning public and private financial flows with a nature positive future and redirecting investments and incentives that undermine biodiversity. Third, a shift in policy and practice, transforming the system and incentives that drive biodiversity laws while advancing development pathways that are both inclusive and nature positive. As we look towards 2030, we must recognize that acceleration is not simply about doing more, faster. It is about changing the development choices that determine our relationship with nature. UNDP remains committed to support country-led implementation of NBS. Our success will be measured not only by progress towards KMGBF targets, but whether we create development pathways in which people and nature can thrive together. I thank you.

I thank UN Assistant Secretary General and Director, Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States of the United Nations Development Programme. I now give the floor to Madam Andrea Meza, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. May I ask to press the mic? If Madame Meza with us in the room. It seems that Madame Meza is not in the room. We will pass to Mr. Seong Xu, Deputy to the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor to address this high-level segment on behalf of the Director General of the United Nations Environment Programme. Allow me to congratulate Armenia on the presidency of this conference and to thank the government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality. Biodiversity loss is not only an environmental concern. it is an economic and industrial one. More than half of global gross domestic product depends on nature, and its degradation already costs the world economy more than 5 trillion US dollars every year. Resource conversion and manufacturing account for some 20% of human-induced pressure on biodiversity, industry is also an indispensable part of the solution. Circular and resource-efficient production, the sound management of chemicals, and sustainable sourcing can reduce pressure on biodiversity while strengthening competitiveness. We need to place these solutions at the service of Member States. In this context, We welcome the year-end call on incentives positive to biodiversity put forward by the Presidency, and stand ready to work with partners to make a nature-positive industrial transformation bankable. Together with the Government of Armenia, we convened a session on the industry biodiversity nexus, at which we launched an agenda paper that I invite delegations to make use of, Excellencies. Almost half of the time to 2030 is already behind us. What remains is implementation at the scale, with finance and with industry at the table. UNIDOSM is ready to support its member states and the Armenia Presidency in that effort. Thank you very much.

I thank Deputy Executive I thank Deputy to the Director General of UNIDO. I now give the floor to Mr. Daniele Violetti, Senior Director for Programme Coordination, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, UN Climate Change congratulates Armenia on its Presidency of CBD COP 17. And thanks to government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality in Yerevan. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation and drought are interconnected. Parties to all three Rio Conventions have recognized this. The first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement emphasized the importance on conserving, protecting, and restoring nature and ecosystems. in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This year offers a rare sequence: UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, CBD COP17 here in Yerevan, and UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya from 9 to 20 November. Successive presidencies have carried a shared commitment to Rio Convention synergies across this triple COP year, including through the COP31 presidency process towards a proposed voluntary country-led Rio Synergies Group for Action. For countries, synergy is practical. It means plans that reinforce each other, information collected once and used for several purposes, and support that arrives joined up. As parties implemented the Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, and NDSAPs, and prepared their biennial transparency reports, the Secretariat stand ready to support them. We do so through the Joint Liaison Group, through coordinated capacity building, and in the context of UN80 work package 27, fully respecting the distinct mandates of each convention. At COP31, we look forward to Parties' consideration of cooperation with other international organizations, including the other Rio Convention secretariats, which could lead to a negotiated outcome that strengthens synergies. We also look forward to concrete results under the COP31 Action Agenda, where Türkiye has announced Rio synergies among its 10 priority areas, alongside the envisaged launch of the Rio Synergy Group for Action. The Secretariat remains committed to supporting Parties as they carry the messages of Yerevan forward to COP31. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Senior Director for Programs Coordination of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. I now give the floor to Mr. Godfrey Magwenzi, Deputy Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Distinguished Minister, Excellencies, and honored guests, I'm delivering this statement on behalf of Mr. Magwenzi, Deputy Director-General and Director of Cabinet of FAO. FAO thanks the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the CBD COP Presidency for their leadership. At this critical juncture, country commitment is strong, but implementation must accelerate. Agri-food systems must be at the heart of that acceleration. There is no food security and nutrition without biodiversity, and no future for biodiversity without transforming our agri-food systems. Countries increasingly recognize this connection. FAO's analysis of updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan shows that agri-food system cut across all 23 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework. More than one-third of planned actions involve agri-food solutions. Through the Agri and B-Support Initiative, FAO and partners are helping countries translate global commitments into policies, investments, and action on the ground. Nearly half of the FAO GEF portfolio in over 140 countries focus on biodiversity, helping rural communities adopt practices that deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity, food security, and livelihoods. FAO is helping countries access and implement investment under the new coming Biodiversity Fund. Ultimately, change must happen on the ground and start with the people behind our food. FAO is honored to support two presidency initiatives, the Yerevan Tech for Biodiversity Monitoring Hub and the Global OECM Action Hub, to strengthen national capacity and recognize positive biodiversity outcomes. I warmly invite Parties and partners to join us and support this initiative. FAO stands ready to work with parties and partners to achieve our collective ambition. Thank you very much.

I thank Deputy Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. I now give the floor to Madame Yvonne Iguero, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, warm thanks to the Government of Armenia for its warm hospitality and excellent arrangements for this meeting. Member States are embracing the KM-GPF implementation across all their international commitments. For example, at CITES COP20 in Samarkand in 2025, Parties strengthened CITES' contribution to the framework, and we see progress. Nearly 80% of NBSAPs reference CITES, reflecting a growing recognition that CITES is a key species-specific treaty contributing to the KMGBF. CITES stands at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and trade. Through science-based decision-making and robust compliance and enforcement mechanisms, CITES helps ensure that trade in wild fauna and flora remains legal, sustainable, and traceable. This is achieved through non-detriment findings and legal acquisition findings and other tools. Implementation must accelerate if we are to achieve the framework's targets by 2030. Stronger coordination at the national level and bringing together biodiversity authorities, enforcement agencies, trade ministries, businesses, communities, and other stakeholders will help turn commitments into tangible results. At the international level, this spirit of collaboration is reflected through the Biodiversity Liaison Group. bringing together eight biodiversity-related agreements to promote coherence and collective action. You will hear from some of those partners shortly. Collectively, we have supported Parties in the recovery of the saiga antelope, strengthening enforcement actions to conserve the vaquita marina, reducing African elephant poaching, and improving the conservation and management of valuable tree species and African carnivores through established scientific and regulatory tools and mechanisms.

These efforts directly contribute to the implementation of the KMGBF.

Since attending my first COP of the CBD in 1998, I have witnessed a remarkable evolution of cooperation among the biodiversity-related conventions. Thirteen COPs later, I remain convinced that our greatest strength is in working together. Let us build on that spirit and accelerate action towards living in harmony with nature. Thank you.

I thank Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. I now give the floor to Mr. Andrew Raine, Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Convention of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, firstly, I wish to echo the thanks that have been given to the government of Armenia and its people for the outstanding hosting of this conference and for the warm and generous hospitality we have all experienced this week. I don't think I've eaten as well this week than I have in a long time. As we gather to accelerate implementation of the KMGVF, the Convention on Migratory Species is proud to contribute to the collective effort to turn global commitments into coordinated action. Migratory species connect ecosystems, countries, economies, health systems, communities. Their conservation therefore requires exactly the type of integrated, whole of government and whole of society approaches envisaged under the KMGBF. CMS helps deliver multiple targets in the KMGBF, and especially those related to ecosystem restoration, spatial planning, and area-based conservation. It provides a global platform and legal architecture for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. One of the contributions CMS is making to the GBF implementation is fostering partnerships that bridge policy, science, and practice. For example, through the Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity, which scales up action to maintain, restore, and enhance ecological connectivity. Others include the CMS Energy Task Force, the Joint CITES CMS African Carnivores Initiative, and the Central Asian Mammals Initiative, to name just a few. CMS is also strengthening coordination and delivery tools and implementation action to address the drivers of biodiversity loss. Its instruments and initiatives target key threats to migratory species, including habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, pollution, and illegal domestic trade. CMS is deeply committed to strengthening collaboration and synergies across the multilateral system. Delivering the GMF requires us to move beyond institutional silos. It requires us to strengthen cooperation. I can't agree more with my colleague from CITES in her eloquent expression of what this means and how to do it. And through its active engagement with the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions, the BLG, and other initiatives, CMX works closely with the other biodiversity conventions to align efforts, to share expertise, and to support coherent implementation of global biodiversity commitments. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, As we look forward and toward reaching the 2030 targets, CMS remains committed to serving as a convening platform that connects actors, knowledge, and action. Thank you.

I thank the Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. I now give the floor to Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, almost every negotiated text here comes back sooner or later to water. Water and wetlands are clean it, restore it, and also shelter so much of life we are here to protect. The Convention's Global Wetland Outlook of the Convention on Wetlands was published last year in 2025, and it found that the world has lost 411 million hectares of wetlands since 1970. More than a fifth of the total, or a quarter of the remaining, are degraded. Now, losses continue every year, and that puts the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework at risk. Because wetlands not only hold or clean our water, they reduce the impacts of floods, droughts, and store huge amounts of carbon. They shelter an extraordinary share of the planet's species. The Global Report on Collective Progress in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Biological Diversity Framework tells us in no certain terms that we must work harder, faster to protect marine, coastal, and freshwater ecosystems. Because we cannot meet sustainable development objectives without healthy wetlands. The Convention on Wetlands is the CBD's lead partner on wetlands, and since 1971, the only and oldest multilateral environmental treaty dedicated to a single ecosystem. At our COP in Victoria Falls, COP 15, last year in 2025, our contracting parties committed to restore degraded wetlands and strengthen their role in disaster risk. reduction and also climate resilience. They also adopted the fifth strategic plan 2025 to 2034, which they designed explicitly to help the framework. The sixth joint work plan between our two conventions, Ramsar and the CBD, guide parties as well as bodies and secretariats, both of conventions that are putting this into practice. TAC, for instance, targets three. More than 250 wetlands of international importance now cover over 250 million hectares, from mountain peatlands to mangrove forests. Together, they form the largest network of area-based management on Earth and a working example of how this convention delivers on protected areas and OECMs across inland, land, coastal, and marine environments. We cannot say what we do not know, and our conventions have already done serious groundwork. Our guide on wetlands in national development strategies and action plans give countries a practical tool for finding these synergies and using them in planning and implementation. So, as the world takes action on nature, name the wetlands in your NBSAPs. And also other reporting mechanisms like our sister conventions, as it has been mentioned, with clear targets. And you have CBD and the Convention on Wetland focal points, write them together. Countries that plan this way implement more effectively and get more for every franc, dram, and hour of expertise they invest. Then, fund that work, along with monitoring that tells us whether conservation and restoration and wise use are succeeding. I thank you.

I thank Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands. I now give the floor to Mr. Gend Nnadozi, Secretary of International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Thank you, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. The theme of this conference, taking action for nature, is both timely and compelling. As we undertake the first global review of the coming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, our challenge is clear: to translate ambition into implementation. For the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, this means safeguarding the diversity of crops that sustain our food systems, while ensuring that this diversity remains available for research, breeding, and innovation, and that the benefits arising from its use are shared fairly and equitably. The Treaty occupies a unique place in this endeavor. It was developed in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity and translates our shared principles into an operational multilateral system for the crop diversity on which all countries depend. This directly supports implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, including the conservation of genetic diversity, sustainable agriculture, and importantly, Goal C and target 13 on access and benefit sharing. It also recognizes the indispensable contribution of farmers, indigenous peoples, and local communities as custodians of this diversity. No country is self-sufficient in the plant genetic resources needed to feed its people. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing pressures on food systems make that interdependence even more consequential. Our response must therefore be greater cooperation, not fragmentation. As we move from Yerevan towards 2030, we must strengthen the connections between our instruments, our institutions, and our national implementation. The International Treaty stands ready to work with the Convention, its partners, and all partners to turn our shared commitments into practical action. Because conserving biodiversity is not only about protecting nature, it is also about keeping open the options humanity will need to feed itself, adapt, and thrive in a changing world. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Secretary of International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. I now give the floor to Madam Marta Rojas Urrego. Executive Secretary of International Whaling Commission.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I am very pleased to speak on behalf of the International Whaling Commission. I would like to thank the Government of Armenia for its warm welcome and for organizing COF 17 under the theme "Taking Action for Nature". The IWC, as a global intergovernmental body responsible for the conservation and management of whales and other cetaceans, is committed to contributing to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. After expressing this commitment in a landmark resolution in 2024, our 89 contracting governments approved Last month in Hobart, a strategic plan for the Conservation Committee aligned with the framework. The IWC is turning these commitments into action. The commission holds rigorous data and in-depth assessment of the status, distribution, and abundance of whale populations worldwide. These contribute to monitoring the status of threatened species and identifying important marine areas. The IWC is also addressing the main threats to cetaceans, such as bycatch and vessel strikes, with two resolutions on these issues adopted in Hobart. New regional conservation management plans were also agreed, including for the threatened Arabian Sea humpback whale, with the Convention on Migratory Species. As such, the IWC is contributing to several targets of the framework. We were therefore very pleased to contribute to the first global review of collective progress. The review showed that we must accelerate action, especially in the oceans. For this, cooperation is key. The IWC works with many partners, including, as we heard before, with our sister conventions of the Biodiversity Liaison Group. but also with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Maritime Organization, and others. Taking action for nature to achieve the ambition of the Global Biodiversity Framework requires scaled-up cooperation. The IWC stands ready to play its part. Thank you.

I thank the Executive Secretary of the International Lwelling Commission. I now give the floor to Mr. Rolf Pae, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions.

Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, dear colleagues, protecting biodiversity requires tackling one of its major drivers, and that is pollution. Hazardous chemicals and waste threaten species. ecosystems and the services they provide. Chemicals released today have immediate impact on human health and the environment, but can also persist for decades across borders and accumulate in wildlife, compromising conservation efforts far from their source. The unsound management of waste poses additional threats to wildlife and ecosystems, leading to soil contamination and land degradation, disrupting aquatic and marine ecosystems, and damaging natural habitats. The Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions provide legally binding frameworks that help countries to address these threats throughout the life cycle of chemicals and wastes, protecting human health and the environment. At the 2025 meetings, the Conference of the Parties of those three conventions renewed their call for enhanced cooperation in support of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The report launched at those meetings identifies practical contributions of those conventions to the framework, extending well beyond the Target 7 on pollution. Our shared priority, therefore, must focus on implementation. First, we should connect national biodiversity strategies with chemicals and waste policies, as well as plans, and foster cross-sectoral collaboration involving our various ministries, not just environment, but also agriculture, the economy, finance, industry, and so on, and translating those shared priorities into coordinated actions and impactful investments. Second, we should strengthen monitoring systems, data and technical cooperation to support informed decision making, and, of course, measuring progress. Thirdly, we should mobilize investment that delivers multiple environmental benefits across the conventions. The Global Environment Facility and other funding mechanisms motivate and help to integrate pollution prevention into biodiversity, food system, land degradation, and other investments, with public finance playing a catalytic role in mobilizing additional investments where opportune and feasible. The BRS Secretary General, Mr. President, stands ready within its mandate to work with parties and partners to translate these opportunities into tangible results. Cooperation becomes meaningful when it changes what happens on the ground. Hazardous releases are prevented, waste are safely disposed of, and ecosystems given a stronger chance to recover. Let us make those results part of our collective response to this biodiversity crisis. I thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Executive Secretary of Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions. I now give the floor to Madame Valérie Hickey, Director for Environment of the World Bank Group.

Excellencies, friends. Thank you to the generosity of the people and government of Armenia for bringing us together to discuss what His Excellency the Prime Minister called our duty to nature. Our duty at the World Bank Group is to end poverty. There will never be a world without poverty in a world without nature. That's why last year, we invested just under $9 billion in nature finance. We were able to make these investments because nature is an engine of jobs and GDP, because nature underpins our shared prosperity. In our everyday work, we see nature as an opportunity agenda, an agenda that everyone, starting with rights holders, be they indigenous peoples, local communities, family farmers, and small businesses, can make decisions about. That's why we help ministries of finance see nature through plugging natural capital accounting into their own systems of national accounts. And that's why we are working with the International Capital Markets Association so that capital markets can see nature too and invest in her. But information and inclusion are not enough to ensure more capital flows to the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of nature. We need robust incentives, strong institutions, and new instruments. Incentives are key to building a regulatory environment that rewards the stewardship of nature, creates new markets, and attracts private capital. This includes working to repurpose agriculture subsidies to reduce their cost to the public purse, improve environmental outcomes, and make sure small family farmers have more money in their pockets. But predictable regulations are nothing without strong institutions to enforce them. That’s why we are supporting ministries of environment to have the organizational and everyday capacity they need to enforce laws and support their workforce on the front lines. Finally, we are innovating financial instruments to turn this opportunity agenda into real investments in nature. This means engineering new types of bonds, for example, including outcome-based bonds that shift the risk of conservation failure to the market. It also means using our capital to de-risk commercial ventures so that family farmers, tourism operators, and large companies that are willing to invest in nature can build profits from its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. When it comes to ending poverty and growing prosperity, nature is not a nice to have. It is a must have to deliver real, quantifiable gains for people, for businesses, and for a livable planet. Thank you.

Thank Madame Genevieve Connors, Global Manager, Environment Department of World Bank Group, and my apologies for the confusion of the speaker. I now give the floor to Executive Director of International Tropical Timber Organization, Madame Shyam Satguru.

Thank you very much, Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Congratulations and gratitude to the Government of Armenia for its presidency and the excellent organization of COP17. For over 40 years, the International Tropical Timber Organization, the ITTO, has shown that conservation and sustainable livelihoods are not competing goals. They are the same goal. Terrestrial and coastal tropical forests are mega-biodiverse biodiversity hotspots, as we know. We support the sustainable management of federal reserves, biosphere reserves, flora and fauna conservation areas, and gazetted forests while improving livelihoods. We conserve and restore valuable native tree species, some sites listed. We support indigenous communities in preserving their traditional knowledge of the forest. Those who have depended on the forest for generations are among its best guardians. Protected areas alone, ladies and gentlemen, will not suffice. Most forests today are productive landscapes where timber, non-timber, agroforestry, and planted forests coexist with vital biodiversity. The full value of this biodiversity is yet unknown, but we know that a landscape approach that tackles the drivers of loss, maintains ecosystem functions, and restores habitats is effective. We cannot fence in biodiversity in isolation. We must conserve it across the whole landscape. This is central to the 2030 Agenda and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In support of CBD Decision 16/35, The CBD Secretariat and the ITTO renewed our partnership in May this year through a Memorandum of Understanding to advance the framework, forest biodiversity, the coming UN Decade on Afforestation and Reforestation, and the Global Forest Goals. ITTO will continue to be the catalyst organization that we have been by applying innovative approaches. In September 2026, we launched the Tropical Integrated Fire Management Toolkit, closing a critical gap in response to a very present threat. Under our recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the IUCN, we are updating our guidelines on biodiversity in tropical production forests, expected in the quarter two of 2027. Commitments on paper alone do not save forests. Action on the ground does. With the support of our members who are parties and partners such as the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, ITTO will continue to support the Rio Conventions and multilateral environmental agreements to deliver the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework for people and the planet. Thank you.

I thank Executive Director of International Tropical Timber Organization. I now give the floor to Ms. Tereza Arneson, Global Co-lead on Biodiversity of Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Human rights are essential to achieving the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its coming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework acknowledges the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and it calls for a human rights-based approach to its implementation in its section C. It also acknowledges the role and contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity and as partners in its conservation, restoration, and sustainable use. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has confirmed that a human rights-based approach supports the best outcomes for both people and biodiversity. The General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council have acknowledged the impact of the loss of biodiversity and of ecosystem decline on the enjoyment of human rights. CBD COP 17 offers an opportunity to advance the implementation of the framework through integrating human rights, including gender equality, across COP 17 processes and outcomes. Achieving the framework's vision of people living in harmony with nature depends on COP 17 outcomes that advanced human rights and that placed rights holders including indigenous peoples, local communities, women and girls, children and youth, persons with disabilities, as well as environmental human rights defenders, at the center of biodiversity action. The UN Human Rights Office stands ready to support you in this endeavor.

I thank you.

I thank Global Call It On Biodiversity of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Human Rights Office. I now give the floor to Hassen Khalil, head of the UNICEF delegation.

Your Excellency, President of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. UNICEF thanks the Republic of Armenia for hosting this important meeting and for its leadership on biodiversity and climate action. Biodiversity loss is not only an environmental crisis, it is a child rights crisis. Children depend on healthy ecosystems for clean air and water, nutritious food, protection from disease and disasters, and their physical and mental well-being. Yet, they are among the least responsible for environmental degradation and among the most affected by it. Children must therefore be recognized not only as vulnerable, but as partners and agents of change. UNICEF calls on parties and partners to take four decisive actions. First, Embed children's rights and child-sensitive, age-segregated indicators in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, monitoring frameworks, and financing decisions. Second, invest in nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration that protect the services children rely on, including schools, health facilities, water systems, food and nutrition systems, and social protection. Third, expand biodiversity education and ensure the meaningful participation of children, young people, and women in decisions at local, national, and global levels. Fourth, direct biodiversity finance toward measurable outcomes for children and women, especially those with disabilities living in poverty, rural communities, and indigenous communities. The success of the Global Biodiversity Framework will be measured not only in hectares protected or restored, but in healthier, safer, and more resilient lives for all children and women. Let us make biodiversity action child-responsive, by design, adequately financed and accountable. By protecting nature, we protect the right of every child to survive, develop, and thrive. Thank you.

I thank the head of the UNICEF Armenia office. I now give the floor to Madame Astrid Kuzian, Chief Operations Officer of United Nations Capital Development Fund.

Mr. Chair, Excellency, distinguished delegates, On behalf of the United Nations Capital Development Fund, I thank the government and people of Armenia for their warm hospitality. Forests secure our water, soils feed our people, coastal ecosystems protect our livelihood. Biodiversity loss threatens economies and public finances. Nature is and must be seen as an engine of jobs and prosperity. For LDCs, seeds and frontier markets, the challenge is to build local economies in which protecting nature sustains businesses, generates revenue for conservation, and benefits communities. This requires enterprises that can borrow, banks equipped to finance them, and investment pipelines grounded in national biodiversity priorities. UNCDF directly deploys catalytic capital to help make this possible. Through concessional loans, guarantees, and investment grants, UNCDF takes early risk and enables domestic financial institutions to unlock capital and finance biodiversity. Our purpose is to make each public dollar go further. mobilizing private investment while building lasting local financing capacity. So the Nature Investment Facility, UNCDF, UNDP, and UNESCO combine financing development and conservation expertise. In Asia, through the Tiger Landscape Investment Facility, we deploy guarantees that can help local financial institutions lend to companies that protect tiger habitats and the communities who share them. Through the Plastic Transition Investment Facility, established with UNEP and the International Finance Corporation, we finance solutions to plastic pollution, a direct threat to biodiversity on land and at sea. Mr. Chair, UNCDF stands ready to work with partners to turn national biodiversity plans into investment pipelines and to build economies where protecting nature creates prosperity and where that prosperity gives countries and communities the means to safeguard nature for generations to come. Thank you very much.

I thank Chief Operations Officer of the United Nations Capital Development Fund. I now give the floor to Madame Greta Aguilar, Director General of International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Thank you, Chair. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, IUCN thanks the Government of Armenia for its leadership and excellent COP organization. The challenge before us is no longer one of ambition. It is one of delivery. The Global Review sends a clear message. Progress is real, but it's slow. The world is not on track to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The question now is not, can we deliver? it is, do we choose to, and how quickly? On behalf of IUCN, I bring five calls to action that our union stands ready to support. First, make biodiversity everybody's businesses. The GBF touches on our food systems, health, infrastructure, trade, and fiscal policies. We must show every sector that nature is at the heart of what they want to achieve. Protecting nature and prosperity are not competing goals. They are the same goal. Second, use the tools we already have. We should not wait for new guidance or processes. The necessary knowledge, standards, and responsible technologies exist today. We need to scale them. Third, strengthen the means of implementation. Conservation remains underfunded, while harmful incentives continue to drive biodiversity loss. We must mobilize more resources from all sources. redirect harmful subsidies, and align financial flows with nature. Fourth, all hands on deck. Indigenous peoples and local communities, women, youth, businesses, and civil society are not stakeholders to consult. They are partners in delivery. And fifth, build coherence across biodiversity, climate, and ocean. Coherence must not dilute biodiversity action, it must strengthen it. Excellencies, future generations will not judge us by the pledges we announced, but by the outcomes we deliver. Let Geneva be remembered for moving us from promise to delivery.

Thank you.

I thank Director-General of IUCN. Distinguished delegates, ministers, excellencies, since we have some time until the lunch and the interpretation is still available, I propose to return back to national statements, and I now give the floor to Ms. Nanette Laure, Principal Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources of Seychelles.

Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the government and the people of Seychelles, I would like to extend our thanks to the government and the wonderful people of Armenia for their warm welcome and for hosting COP17. Mr. President, the evidence from the Global Report is clear. Globally, we are lagging behind towards the achievement of the global biodiversity targets. And this lack of progress is only detrimental to biodiversity. Seychelles understands that protecting biodiversity is not just an environmental responsibility. It is closely linked to our livelihoods, our economic development, cultural heritage, and the resilience of our communities. And Seychelles remains committed to implement the objectives of the Convention as well as the KMPGF. Our high level of ambition is translated through our national biodiversity targets, as we work towards finalizing our NBSAP. Although a small island nation, Seychelles has high level of endemism and considered globally as a biodiversity hotspot. We have surpassed the 30 by 30 target even before the target was adopted by protecting more than 48% of our land and 32% of our EEZ. And this year, we have designated our first seasonal protected areas for the protection of sea turtles. Our focus is now on implementation, ensuring the effective management of these protected areas to support with the conservation of our species and ecosystems. As a country, we have made significant progress in conserving our biodiversity and managing our natural resources. Our focus is on the conservation of threatened species, restoring degraded ecosystems, mainstreaming biodiversity international policies and strategies, and ensuring the sustainable use of biodiversity. However, we must recognize the barriers that hinders progress at national level. The main barriers identified in the global review towards achieving the KMGBF is on the means of implementation. The global biodiversity financing gap still stands at 700 billion USD, with the commitment under Target 19, which requires developed countries to mobilize at least 20 billion USD by 2025, has not been met. We call upon those developed countries to undertake and not deviate from their obligation as outlined under Article 20 of the Convention. There needs to be increase of predictable, timely, adequately, and accessible financing for biodiversity. More importantly, there should be more accountability and transparency in the way international public financing flows towards biodiversity. We must ensure that all developing countries, in particular the least developing countries and small island developing states, are able to access funding to implement the KMGBS. As an island state, we still see limited emphasis on marine and coastal biodiversity and the impacts the coastal and marine ecosystems are facing in the work on the Convention. This year, the world is facing what is being called a super El Niño, and the impacts that this may have on our ecosystem is particular to our coral reefs. And that can be disastrous and undermine years of conservation and restoration efforts. As we move forward in the implementation of the KMGBF and recognizing the special circumstances of SIDS, we urge the Secretariat to expedite the work on island biodiversity. A standalone program of work on island biodiversity will no doubt create new opportunities for joint solutions for biodiversity and climate change objectives. Seychelles also recognizes the importance of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction agreement, which has entered into force. The implementation of this agreement provides an important opportunity to strengthen international cooperation towards marine science, research and capacity building, and to protect biodiversity in the high seas. Halting the biodiversity loss is a collective progress. The Global Review has shown us our progress thus far, but we should strive to accelerate efforts towards the achievement of the KMGBF. However, we must ensure that there are adequate means of financing, capacity development, technology transfer to deliver on this ambitious framework and to put nature on a path of recovery. Thank you, Mr. President.

I thank Principal Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources of Seychelles. I now give the floor to Mr. Joseph Emmanuel Philippe, Director General of Ministry of Environment of Haiti.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. President, Excellencies, Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, delegates, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Haiti, headed by His Excellency Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé. We would like to thank the government and the people of Armenia for their extremely warm welcome. Our thanks also go to the Secretariat of the Convention for the efforts that have gone into the organization of this 17th conference, which is a marvelous occasion to strengthen our political dialogue, to consolidate international cooperation, and turn our collective commitments into ambitious and lasting support for biodiversity. Now, we have an enormous amount of hope from the KMGBF, and this framework has given us a common vision and ambitious objectives to stop the loss of biodiversity. However, as this year 2030 approaches, we have to acknowledge that the progress accomplished is insufficient, and the political commitments, however ambitious they may be, will not be able to produce the results expected if they are not accompanied by adequate financial resources, reinforced technical capacity, and international cooperation to to yield deliverables. For Haiti, an island state in the Caribbean, which is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, biodiversity is essential for our resilience and our food security and our durable development. We have We updated our strategy and plan of action for diversity with 29 targets and priority areas aimed at strengthening conservation, restoration, and durable use of biodiversity, sustainable use of biodiversity, whilst favoring its integration into public policies. We also have a plan for the financing of biodiversity aimed at identifying the needs, orienting investments, and diversifying sources of financing. Moreover, Haiti would like to express its interest in adhering to the Cartagena Protocol on the Prevention of Biotechnological Risks and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Just and Equitable Sharing of Advantages from their Utilization. Provisions have been taken to shore up our national legislation in the area of environment, especially as regards the prevention of risks for living modified organisms. This shows that biodiversity is critical, as well as the equitable sharing of advantages. Allow me to stress three priorities that I think should guide our collective action. First of all, we have to make environmental education a fundamental pillar for the implementation of the biodiversity global framework. We have to invest more in education, in awareness raising. Number two, we have to guarantee effective access to financing which is suitable for the countries which are vulnerable. We call on an acceleration of the mobilization of resources, financial resources. Thirdly, we have to strengthen international and regional cooperation. We have to strengthen the scientific and technical cooperation, the transfer of technologies, the sharing of knowledge and regional partnerships. In order to consolidate and develop credible investment projects, restore ecosystems, we have to conserve biodiversity and step up our commitments. On behalf of the Government of Haiti, I reaffirm our determination to contribute fully to this implementation of the KMGBF. It is our policy possibilities that we offer to the future generations, and that is where our efficiency will be measured. Thank you very much.

Director General or Minister of Environment of Haiti. I now give the floor to Mr. Dale Webber, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Environment, Ocean, and the Blue Economy of Jamaica.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Jamaica wishes to express its appreciation to the Government and people of the Republic of Armenia for their leadership and kind hospitality in hosting of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and related meetings in Yerevan, a city steeped in history, culture, and nature. COP17, under the theme "Taking Action for Nature," represents a critical juncture in our collective efforts to reverse global biodiversity loss. Indeed, strong and decisive leadership at all levels will be required if we are to urgently and proactively respond to the less-than-stellar findings from the first official stocktake of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. While the significant global stakeholder engagement in the establishment of national biodiversity targets and the updating of NBSAPs is commendable, the implementation deficit is significant and cannot be denied. It is therefore important that the political platform provided by COP17, including the Leaders’ Summit and this Ministerial High-Level Segment, be used as a rallying cry to further strengthen our resolve to enable concrete and sustained action. In this regard, we commend Armenia in leading the charge through the Yerevan Declaration and Pathway. As a small island development state, Jamaica recognizes that biodiversity is fundamental to our livelihoods, food and water security, environmental resilience, poverty eradication, and cultural heritage. Our terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, including forests, coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, are the bedrock of our blue economy, yet remain increasingly vulnerable to climate change, pollution, habitat degradation, and unsustainable resource use. Today marks the first anniversary of the passage of Hurricane Melissa, a category five storm which resulted in over $12 billion physical damage. The devastation to our island has been further exacerbated by the ongoing severe drought and elevated temperatures as a result of the super El Niño. In response, the government of Jamaica has launched reforestation, ecological enhancement, and landscape framework project called Relief. A national initiative to repair the 51% of national forest damaged by Hurricane Melissa. This project will complement the 2020 3 million tree planted initiative with another 3 million tree planted initiative over five years. This initiative will assist Jamaica to achieve its biodiversity goals and targets related to ecosystem restoration, increasing protected areas, and expansion of green spaces, while empowering local communities, women, youth, and other key stakeholders in shaping the country's biodiversity agenda. We emphasize the urgent need for adequate, predictable, and accessible biodiversity financing, particularly for SIDS and LDCs, along with strengthened mechanisms for capacity building, scientific and technical assistance, and technology transfer. Jamaica stands ready to work constructively with all parties and partners to secure a future where both people and nature can thrive. I thank you.

I thank Special Envoy for Climate Change, Environment, Ocean, and the Blue Economy of Jamaica. I now give the floor to Mr. Bouzekri Razi, Secretary General of the Department of Sustainable Development of Morocco.

Thank you, President.

Distinguished Ministers and Heads of Delegation, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very happy to participate in this high-level segment of COP17. Allow me to express on behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco our sincere thanks to the Government of the Republic of Armenia for their hospitality and for the organization of this important event. The theme "Taking Action for Nature" invites us to make our commitments into concrete action in a context Characterized by interdependent crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, in the lead up to 2030, our collective responsibility is to accelerate the implementation of the KMGBF by mobilizing public policy, financing, knowledge, and the necessary partnerships. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of the King, has undertaken an inclusive process to restore biodiversity, and in this context, we have perfected our strategy and national action plan for biodiversity through 2035. It's based on 25 national targets aligned with the KMGF and in line with our sustainable development priorities. We are continuing our efforts. When it comes to forest restoration, we have developed a strategy entitled Forests of Morocco 2020-2030. We are also focusing on a number of different habitats, and we are sure to include women and youth in these projects. Along the same lines, the Kingdom of Morocco is working to protect 30% of our territory to have that included in protected areas in order to achieve the 30 by 30 goal. In addition, we are committed to implementing the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols. Ladies and gentlemen, technology transfer and capacity development are essential for us to meet the needs of developing countries. Financial needs mean that we need to be involved bringing together financing institutions and the private sector. There also needs to be oversight and monitoring, as well as accountability mechanisms at the national level, based on reliable data. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we would like to stress the importance of initiatives having to do with the preservation and conservation of mountains and the high seas, among others. These habitats are essential. We also need to strengthen triangular cooperation, cooperation between Southern countries, South-South cooperation, we need to increase synergies between environmental agreements, international instruments, so that we can achieve our goals.

Department of Sustainable Development of Morocco. I now give the floor to Her Excellency Madame Noelia Su Caltato, Ambassador for Cross-Border Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for hosting us in this beautiful country. So, Excellencies, friends of nature, bon dia. For Andorra, biodiversity conservation is inseparable from the protection of our mountain ecosystems. I am proud to officially announce that Andorra is now protecting 30% of its territory, in line with our common target. Our national efforts also include the protection of endangered species, with 22 protected species, including the Pyrenean desman, a vulnerable semi-aquatic mammal. Andorra works hard to translate biodiversity commitment into concrete measures. However, we all know that our mountain systems face growing pressures. These specific needs must be more visible within the international biodiversity agenda. Andorra calls on all the Parties to make sure that the Programme of Work on Mountain Biodiversity remains a top priority during the inter-sessional period leading up to COP18. We must strengthen our implementation, ensure that mountain ecosystems are adequately reflected into national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and translate scientific knowledge into effective conservation measures. Political commitments must also be matched by financial resources. UNEP estimates the annual developing mountain countries adaptation needs at $187 billion. Investment must increase. We need better information on financial flows to mountain ecosystem, improved access to existing international funds, and greater support for local communities. This requires close cooperation with governments, international financial institutions, environmental funds, and, of course, the private sector. We also need to make mountains a top priority across the Rio Conventions. Yesterday, the Armenian Government and the UNEP launched the Yerevan Platform on Mountains and Freshwaters. We hope this initiative can channel our common effort to support mountain regions. The Bishkek+25 Global Mountain Summit in October next year will also be a key momentum for mountains, building on the seventh global meeting of the UN Global Mountain Partnership that we held in Andorra and its Andorra Declaration. Excellencies, mountains matter. They matter for biodiversity, for our land, and for the well-being of our people. Thank you very much.

I thank Ambassador for Cross-Border Cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Andorra. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, we will now break for lunch. The Presidency's ministerial discussion on UN 18, increasing synergies among multilateral environmental agreements, convened with UNEP, takes place at 15 minutes past one in the Banquet Hall. We'll resume at 3 PM to continue with statements. Have a good lunch.