Despite geopolitical tension and the deepening climate crisis, the international community can make progress in protecting nature. Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), stated this during Sunday’s opening ceremony of 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the CBD, in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Schomaker thanked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the government of Armenia, and the Armenian people for their preparations for this conference and the summit of world leaders. According to her, Armenia has made significant efforts to host thousands of participants and ensure conditions for effective work.

Armenia fully demonstrates its hospitality. Anyone who spends even a few hours in the country will feel the friendly attitude of the Armenian people and their desire to make guests feel at home, the CBD executive secretary noted.

She said that COP17 should become a platform not only for discussing environmental issues, but also for concrete actions. Schomaker emphasized that the participants of the conference are united by a common goal: to halt biodiversity loss and accelerate the implementation of international commitments in that regard.

This conference once again confirms that multilateral cooperation works, and that the commitments made matter. Even in the face of geopolitical tension and the escalating climate crisis, they have hope. And this is an extremely important responsibility that everyone bears, Schomaker stated.

She recalled that at the COP17 Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity, the latter’s loss was named one of the greatest challenges of modernity. At the same time, addressing the issue can open up opportunities to change humanity’s attitude towards nature and create a more sustainable and equitable future, Schomaker added.

The CBD executive secretary called for using the next two weeks of COP17 to strengthen partnerships and translate political pledges into practical steps. According to her, the international community already has tools to assess the progress made, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the report on countries’ collective efforts.

They already know where progress has been made and where shortcomings still remain. The main task of their meeting is to eliminate those shortcomings. The upcoming global assessment will be of key importance, and they expect leadership and vision from Armenia’s presidency to help accelerate and strengthen biodiversity conservation actions around the world, said Schomaker.

Also, she thanked the Armenian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, as well as the Environment for their commitment to the common goal, as well as the staff of international organizations who participated in the preparation of COP17. In her opinion, the organizing of such a large-scale conference required a huge amount of work, a significant part of which has remained behind the scenes.

In conclusion, Astrid Schomaker thanked Armenia for its willingness to host the international community, and expressed hope for the successful holding of COP17 and the achievement of practical results nature protection.