{"id":571242,"date":"2026-11-12T12:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T11:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=571242"},"modified":"2026-11-12T13:47:56","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T12:47:56","slug":"from-commitments-at-the-cbd-cop17-to-action-now-the-real-work-begins-but-where-is-the-finance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/story\/from-commitments-at-the-cbd-cop17-to-action-now-the-real-work-begins-but-where-is-the-finance\/","title":{"rendered":"From Commitments at the CBD COP17 to Action: Now the Real Work Begins, but where is the finance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After two weeks of negotiations, dialogue and exchange in Yerevan, Armenia, CBD COP17 has renewed global commitments for biodiversity, but without the financial breakthrough needed to put the Global Biodiversity Framework back on track. For IUCN NL, COP17 offered inspiration about what is possible, but also reinforced worries that action and finance are not yet enough to drive systemic change.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Headerphoto: IUCN NL at the CBD COP17 \u00a9 IUCN NL<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The conference marked the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), and it is widely recognised that progress is not enough. Governments therefore adopted the Yerevan Pathway<\/a> which aims to accelerate implementation during the years that remain until 2030. COP17 took place at the halfway point between the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022 and its 2030 targets. The global review confirmed what many organisations have already witnessed: there is progress, but not yet at the scale or speed required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Although the conference\u2019s final text falls well short of what is needed to meet the agreed targets, reaching agreement was significant, particularly after the difficult conclusion of COP16 and at a time of growing geopolitical division. But the outcome contains insufficient quantified finance commitments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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A finance headline that needs unpacking<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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COP17 generated headlines about nearly $2 billion in biodiversity finance announcements<\/a>. This figure, however, combines genuinely new pledges with earlier commitments, investment targets and money spread over several years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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This included $560 million under the Global Environment Facility\u2019s latest replenishment, $500 million through the Species Recovery Alliance<\/a> and $330 million for the Value Nature Fund<\/a> to mobilise private capital for nature. Other initiatives included the Asian Development Bank\u2019s new biodiversity bond and investment incubator, plus new indicators for biodiversity monitoring and accountability. The Netherlands also indicated a $500 million contribution to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility<\/a> over ten years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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These contributions are very welcome, but they are not enough to close the global biodiversity finance gap, as shown in the graph. Progress was further constrained by the fact that developed countries did not meet their agreed funding commitments, a key element of achieving GBF Target 19<\/a>. Decisions about the future international biodiversity finance mechanism were postponed until COP18 in 2028, which takes place in Ecuador.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Besides, the Cali Fund, intended to share benefits from the use of digital genetic sequence information, illustrates the gap between institutional progress and available resources. Despite its promise to direct half of future allocations towards the self-identified needs of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, it ended COP17 with pledges of just $10,565.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The global biodiversity conservation financing compared to global biodiversity
conservation needs (in US$ billions) [1]<\/sup><\/a>Source: Deutz, A., Heal, G. M., Niu, R., Swanson, E., Townshend, T., Zhu, L., Delmar, A., Meghji, A., Sethi, S. A., and Tobin de la Puente, J. 2020. Financing Nature: Closing the global … Continue reading<\/span><\/span><\/span>