The Youth Biodiversity COP17 Simulation – Armenia 2026 officially opened on August 5 at the Armenia Marriott Hotel, marking the start of a three-day journey into international biodiversity diplomacy.
The Opening Ceremony brought welcome remarks from Voskehat Grigoryan, Head of the Department for Specially Protected Areas of Nature and Biodiversity Policy, Ministry of Environment; Arman Melkumyan, Focal Point for Youth of the Incoming COP17 Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia; Sara Öberg Höper, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden; Anna Khvorostiankina, UNESCO Chairholder and Jean Monnet Professor at EIU; and representatives of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law — Claudia Ituarte-Lima, Thematic Lead and Senior Researcher, Arman Gasparyan, Deputy Director and Programme Officer, and Meline Avagyan, Programme Officer.
The ceremony continued with a keynote speech by Ms. Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator to Armenia, setting an inspiring tone for the days of negotiation ahead.
A powerful and unifying start to a programme designed to empower the next generation of biodiversity leaders.
Day 1 – Setting the Negotiation Framework
Following the Opening Ceremony, Day 1 of the Youth Biodiversity COP17 Simulation moved straight into preparation and the first rounds of negotiation:
🔹 Simulation Orientation — an in-depth overview of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the COP’s institutional structure, the roles of the Presidency, Bureau and Secretariat, Rules of Procedure, consensus-based decision-making, negotiation techniques and the drafting of CBD decisions, facilitated by all experts
🔹 Nature-Culture Summit, featuring the screening of “The Elements” — the world’s first musical periodic table, presenting all 118 elements as individual classical compositions
🔹 Organizational Matters: election of the Bureau, adoption of the agenda, organization of work and Rules of Procedure, and introduction of Party delegations and observer organizations
🔹 Resource Mobilization and Financial Mechanism, with a focus on integrating human rights and gender equality — the first reading of the draft decision, with negotiations on biodiversity finance, international cooperation and the reform of harmful incentives
🔹 Bureau Meeting and Secretariat Briefing to review the day’s negotiations and prepare the revised draft decision for Day 2.
A day of building the foundations — knowledge, structure and the first steps of real multilateral negotiation. 🌍📝
Day 2 – Working Groups & Negotiations
Day two of the Youth Biodiversity COP17 Simulation moved from opening statements to the heart of multilateral negotiation. Party delegations held regional coordination meetings and observer consultations before diving into intensive discussions across the day’s agenda items:
🔹 Gender Plan of Action — negotiating the integration of gender equality across the Framework’s implementation, finance, monitoring, participation and leadership, chaired by the COP President
🔹 Implementation of Article 8 and Related Provisions — addressing traditional knowledge, customary sustainable use, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ participation
🔹 A dedicated session on synergies between the CBD and other international treaties, with a focus on the Rio Trio
🔹 Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review — negotiating national biodiversity strategies, indicators and global review mechanisms
🔹 Contact groups and informal consultations to resolve bracketed text across agenda items
🔹 A special moment giving youth participants space to reflect and decide on their own next steps beyond the simulation
🔹 The day closed with a Bureau meeting and Secretariat briefing, preparing the revised draft decisions for Day 3
A day of real diplomatic practice — coalition-building, compromise and consensus-seeking, just as it happens at the actual CBD COP. 🤝🌍
Day 3 – High-Level Segment, Adoption of Decisions & Closing Ceremony
The final day of the Youth Biodiversity COP17 Simulation brought the negotiation process to its conclusion. Following morning regional coordination meetings and final contact group consultations to resolve remaining bracketed text, participants gathered for the High-Level Plenary, presenting reports from contact groups, regional statements and observer interventions.
In a landmark moment, the COP President led the adoption of the CBD COP17 draft decisions by consensus, covering:
✅ Resource Mobilization and Financial Mechanism
✅ Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Review
✅ Gender Plan of Action
The afternoon featured presentations by observers, followed by reflections from the COP President, the Bureau, the CBD Secretariat, Party representatives and observer organizations on the journey of the past three days.
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