ArmInfo. The COP17 conference will be held in 2026 at the Meridian Expo Center in Yerevan. For this purpose, the RA government will conclude a public procurement contract with Meridian Holding CJSC for the provision of services. The decision was made on September 11 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers.
As stated in the explanatory note to the document, the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is scheduled to be held in Armenia from October 18 to 30, 2026. An Organizing Committee has been formed to organize and conduct the Conference.
A delegation led by the Secretary General of the Convention Astrid Shoemaker visited Yerevan from March 3 to 6, 2025, during which, among other issues related to preparations for COP17, the issue of choosing a venue for the conference was also discussed. According to the letter received from Shoemaker, the Meridian Exhibition Center best meets the evaluation criteria for hosting COP17.
In order to ensure that the event is held at a high level, the 2025 state budget of the Republic of Armenia will be redistributed and 5775.0 million drams will be allocated for organizing the conference. The money will be spent on the reconstruction, construction and improvement of the Meridian territory.
On October 31, 2024, during the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Cali, Colombia, Armenia was selected to host the 17th Conference of the Parties. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity is one of three key international environmental conventions aimed at regulating the efforts of the international community to ensure environmental sustainability, protect biological diversity, restore ecosystems and sustainably use natural resources. The Conferences of the Parties to the Convention are among the largest global environmental events, held every two years, during which participating countries develop mechanisms to implement the provisions of the Convention and adopt new commitments to strengthen the protection of natural resources. Representatives of civil society, including representatives of non-governmental organizations, indigenous peoples, the scientific community, women's and youth organizations, and the private sector actively participate in the work of the Conferences.
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