COP17 biodiversity summit ends in Yerevan under fire as campaigners accuse Russia of blocking deals
The group points to Russia, with occasional backing from Saudi Arabia and Argentina. Meanwhile, a UN review found 22 of 23 global targets off track, and about $1.8 billion in new finance was announced.
Two weeks of talks in Yerevan, Armenia, and an unenthusiastic verdict. Ecologistas en Acción, a Spanish group that attended the COP17 biodiversity summit as an observer, says blockages and missing money held it back. These are the group’s assessments: the article reporting them doesn’t include a response from the countries named.
The accusations
- Russia allegedly blocked most agreements, backed by Saudi Arabia and Argentina in some negotiations.
- It also allegedly refused to recognise reports from IPBES, the biodiversity science panel, and questioned the high seas treaty (BBNJ).
- More than 50 countries, led by Switzerland, reportedly responded with a statement defending independent science.
- Commitments on the rights of Indigenous peoples, women and young people were reportedly watered down.
Money at the centre
The figures on finance don’t match. The target was for rich countries to provide $20 billion a year to the Global South by 2025.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Ecologistas en Acción | Only $4.4 billion was provided in the period |
| OECD report, per Mongabay | It fell about $4 billion short |
The summit presidency, according to Mongabay, announced about $1.8 billion in new finance. That includes $500 million from the Netherlands for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility and €300 million from Germany for the Legacy Landscapes Fund.
But the balance remains badly skewed: UNEP estimates $7.3 trillion a year in financial support for nature-negative activities.
A poor report card
A UN review published before the summit found 22 of the 23 targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework off track. Those still unmet include Target 18, which seeks to cut harmful incentives by at least $500 billion a year by 2030.
One piece of good news
Ecologistas en Acción welcomes the adoption of rules for the new subsidiary body on Indigenous peoples and local communities, which was in jeopardy until the last moment.
There are four years left to meet the 2030 goals. See what was at stake in our report from the start of the summit.
Sources and references
- ECOticias – Ecologistas en Acción denuncia bloqueos de Rusia en la COP17 de Biodiversidad (02/11/2026)
- Mongabay – Leaders grapple with finance and harmful subsidies at UN's COP17 biodiversity conference (31/10/2026)
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