From Cali to Armenia | The stakes of UNCBD COP17

Background for this session

The adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) at COP15 and the outcomes of COP16 in Cali marked important steps towards addressing global biodiversity loss. As countries move from ambition to implementation, COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, taking place from 19–30 October 2026, will provide a critical opportunity to assess collective progress towards the Framework’s 2030 targets and address key issues such as resource mobilization, national implementation, digital sequence information and biodiversity–climate linkages. For young people working across food systems, agriculture, conservation and rural development, understanding what is at stake in Yerevan is essential to strengthening meaningful participation and ensuring that youth perspectives contribute to biodiversity action at national, regional and global levels.

Key Objectives:

• Understand what is at stake at COP17, including key issues related to the implementation and collective review of the KMGBF, biodiversity finance, national implementation and other priorities on the COP17 agenda.
• Explore youth priorities and entry points for engagement in the CBD process, particularly around the implementation of the KMGBF and the transformation of food and agricultural systems.
• Equip young professionals and youth organizations with practical knowledge to follow the negotiations, engage in COP17 spaces and connect global biodiversity commitments with action in their own communities and countries.

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About Changemakers for Agri-food Action

Changemakers for Agri-Food Action” is a series of online webinars that YPARD launched in 2024 with the aim of equipping youth movements, including members of the YPARD Policy Working Group, with the tools, resources, and strategic knowledge needed to participate effectively in major international political processes.

This year’s main theme will be the synergies among the Rio Conventions, particularly as they relate to agrifood systems. This series of webinars aims to strengthen young people’s capacities and leadership so we can understand these interconnections, promote agroecological approaches, and actively participate in the implementation of integrated policies that simultaneously address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation.