United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking at the Leaders for Nature Summit in Yerevan, said Armenia would assume an important responsibility in assessing the implementation of global biodiversity conservation targets through 2030.
“Armenia is taking on responsibility through 2030. Yerevan will formally determine whether we are doing enough worldwide or not,” he said, Factor.am reported.
The UN secretary-general expressed gratitude to the Armenian government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for organizing and hosting the internationally significant environmental event at a high level.
In his address, Guterres expressed concern about threats facing the planet’s ecosystems. He said instability caused by climate change, uncontrolled pesticide use, environmental pollution and the spread of invasive species were causing serious damage to natural habitats.
The UN chief noted that more than one million plant and animal species currently face the threat of extinction, underscoring the need for urgent action to conserve biodiversity.
Guterres also addressed the progress achieved since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
According to him, approximately 90% of countries have already established national biodiversity conservation targets. In addition, since 2022, protected areas have expanded by another 1.3 million square kilometers of land and 6 million square kilometers of aquatic areas.
Nevertheless, the UN secretary-general emphasized that progress at the international level remains uneven and insufficient to achieve the established targets.
“At the current pace, 23% of land and 12% of aquatic areas will be protected by 2030, significantly below the ’30×30′ target agreed upon in Montreal,” the UN secretary-general said.
Guterres also welcomed the Yerevan Declaration adopted during the summit, describing it as an important platform for advancing international efforts to conserve biodiversity.
He stressed that achieving environmental objectives requires not only political commitment but also the effective allocation of financial resources.
The UN secretary-general expressed particular concern that a substantial proportion of global financial flows are directed toward financing activities that undermine nature conservation.
“For every dollar directed toward protecting nature, 30 dollars are spent on its destruction. In 2023, 7.3 trillion U.S. dollars went toward activities that negatively affect nature. Subsidizing fossil fuels is suicide,” Guterres emphasized.
Addressing the scale of financing required, he urged the international community to increase annual investment in nature-based solutions to 530 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.
Guterres also emphasized the importance of reforming the international financial system to ensure access to the resources needed for environmental projects and their effective, targeted use.
Toward the end of his speech, the UN secretary-general became emotional as he reflected on the approaching end of his tenure and the environmental challenges he had prioritized during his time in office.
He recalled that only 76 days remained before the end of his term as UN secretary-general.
“I have 76 days left in my term as UN secretary-general. One of my greatest priorities has been fighting the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. We must act urgently to secure the future of our children and our planet,” the UN secretary-general concluded.
The 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) will take place at the Meridian Expo Center in Yerevan from October 19 to 30, 2026.
