COP17 Yerevan: Nations agree to accelerate nature action amid funding and political deadlock

Key points

• The global review 'notes with deep concern' that the 2030 biodiversity targets will not be met without rapid acceleration of action.
• The Cali Fund, established to pay for genetic resources, held only $10,565 in pledges by the end of the conference, far below the $200m target.
• Negotiations on broadening the list of donor countries stalled, with the final text allowing nations to 'signal interest' rather than mandating new contributors.
• Russia and Saudi Arabia blocked language recognizing the High Seas Treaty and references to Indigenous peoples in marine biodiversity texts.
• Quto, Ecuador, was selected to host COP18 in 2028, marking a smoother conclusion than the previous COP16 in Colombia.

Background

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed in 2022, set 23 targets to halt nature loss by 2030. Previous coverage indicated that while conservation coverage has reached approximately 27% of land, ecological gaps persist. The 2026 summit marked the halfway point of this framework, with earlier reports highlighting that 84% of countries missed the 2025 deadline to identify harmful subsidies.

How outlets are covering it

Carbon Brief detailed the technical deadlock over the Cali Fund and the 'super, mega-delicate' compromise on finance, noting that no major winner or loser emerged. BBC emphasized the political nature of the talks, highlighting that while $1bn was pledged, the core funding gap remains, and noted the frustration over political interference in scientific reports. The Guardian focused on the systemic failure of the consensus-based COP process, quoting Panama's minister who called the summit a 'bunch of baloney' and argued for majority-rule voting. While Carbon Brief and BBC focused on the specific outcomes of the finance and DSI negotiations, The Guardian highlighted the broader call for structural reform of UN environmental summits to prevent future deadlocks.

Why it matters

The failure to secure adequate funding and the near-empty state of the Cali Fund threaten the financial viability of biodiversity protection for developing nations and Indigenous communities. The political interference in scientific reporting and the inability to agree on who should pay for nature conservation signal a deepening crisis in global environmental governance. Without significant course correction, the 2030 targets are likely to be missed, exacerbating the sixth mass extinction event.

What to watch

Countries will now enter an intersessional period to finalize the details of the Cali Fund and the new financial mechanism for post-2030 nature funding. The next major milestone is COP18 in Quito, Ecuador, in 2028, where the institutional structure of the new financial mechanism will be decided. In the interim, the 'friends of target 18' group will work on subsidy reform, and the Global Environment Facility will be requested to provide resources for monitoring frameworks.