On Thursday, 30 October 2025, during SB8J, the CBD Women’s Caucus participated in the High-Level Dialogue with Parties and Non-Party Stakeholders to Present the Vision and Priorities of the Armenian Incoming COP17 Presidency. This session was co-organized with the CBD Secretariat and hosted by Armenia’s Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The dialogue was moderated by Mr. Davit Knyazyan, Chief of the Department of Multilateral Policy and Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. Distinguished participants included Ms. Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the CBD Secretariat, H.E. Mr. Mher Margaryan, Ambassador and COP17 Chief Negotiator of Armenia, Ms. Daniela Durán González, COP16 Presidency Representative (Colombia) Mr. Juan Carlos Monterrey-Gomez, Special Representative for Climate Change & National Climate Change Director, Ministry of Environment of Panama, Ms. Lucy Mulenkei, Co-chair of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), and Ms. Josefa Cariño Tauli, Policy Co-coordinator of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN).
CBD Women’s Caucus Intervention
The dialogue covered critical topics on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, financial mechanisms and resource mobilization, and the integration of traditional knowledge, innovations, and practices.
- The dialogue also emphasized the urgent need to:
Build on the achievements of COP16 Colombia. - Accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (#KMGBF).
- Foster synergies between the nature and climate agendas, and streamline national implementation.
During the event, Ms. Amelia Arreguín, Coordinator of the CBD Women’s Caucus, delivered the CBD WC’intervention, emphasizing the centrality of gender in biodiversity policy and action. She highlighted that COP17 offers a key opportunity to advance the midterm review of the Gender Plan of Action, a roadmap for ensuring a gender-responsive, rights-based, and inclusive implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Ms. Amelia also for “gender and biodiversity champions” within governments, institutions, and the biodiversity community, highlighting the importance of dedicated support, resources, and empowerment for gender focal points who she described as the “superheroes” that help turn commitments into actions.
The Importance of Gender-Responsive Biodiversity Action
The CBD WC underscored that a gender-responsive approach strengthens the social foundations of biodiversity action, reduces conflicts, builds trust, and ensures that conservation work advances both well-being and justice. COP17 can serve as a pivotal moment to reaffirm long-standing commitments and achieve measurable progress toward gender justice and biodiversity conservation.
Looking Ahead to COP17
The CBD Women’s Caucus praised Armenia’s commitment to inclusive, multi-stakeholder leadership and expressed confidence that COP17 will integrate gender considerations into biodiversity governance, resource mobilization, and the broader Kunming-Montreal Framework agenda.
Watch the full intervention of the CBD Women’s Caucus by its Coordinator, Ms. Amelia Arreguín
