Armenia will host the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in 2026, providing an opportunity to highlight leadership in a key environmental arena. The 17th Biodiversity COP will focus on enhancing efforts to stop and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, a critical deadline to ensure that the world does not overshoot planetary ecological limits. What must Armenia do to ensure success in hosting its largest global conference to date? How can it enhance its own efforts to preserve biodiversity, security, and human development? Is it ready to take the lead on ensuring vital progress at COP17? And finally, what kind of a deterrence role can COP17 play in regional stability?

• Irina Ghaplanyan, Senior Climate Change Specialist, World Bank
• Erik Grigoryan, Founder and CEO, “Environment Group”, Armenian Special Envoy on Debt-for-Climate negotiations
• Moderator: David Akopyan, Senior Advisor, Crisis Management and State Building, Board Member, APRI Armenia