The Alliance at UNCBD COP17
17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will take place from 19-30 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia, under the theme “Taking action for nature.” The COP will be a critical stocktaking moment for implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
Adopted at COP15 in December 2022, the KMGBF sets out a global roadmap for living “in harmony with nature” by 2050, with 4 overarching goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 focused on reducing threats to biodiversity, ensuring its sustainable use and equitable benefit-sharing, and strengthening implementation.
With more than 125 countries having submitted national reports, COP17 will assess progress since 2022 and identify remaining gaps. With only 4 years left to deliver the 2030 targets, the meeting will be a key moment to accelerate implementation, mobilize finance, strengthen accountability and advance action across sectors.
The Alliance brings to COP17 our longstanding expertise on conservation, research, and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity. Building on the outcomes of the International Agrobiodiversity Congress, where we launched the Kunming Manifesto on Agrobiodiversity, we will be advocating for global biodiversity commitments that support practical implementation. Our engagement will focus on bringing science, evidence and experience from food systems and landscapes into discussions on how countries can deliver the KMGBF.
This includes sharing evidence and approaches for monitoring biodiversity and implementation progress, conserving and using agrobiodiversity, restoring landscapes, strengthening inclusive food systems, mobilizing biodiversity finance, and aligning action across biodiversity, climate and land agendas.
COP17 will provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge with governments, partners and other stakeholders, and to explore how research and innovation can help address implementation gaps and accelerate progress toward the Framework’s 2030 targets. It will also create space to strengthen partnerships, develop new collaborations, and identify opportunities to scale practical, evidence-based solutions for biodiversity.
More on our Work on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Our engagements
October 19, 2026
Accelerating the transition: The Global Review, NBSAPs 3.0 and the Path to Nature-Positive Food Systems
Carlo Fadda
Director, AgrobiodiversityOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Biovision; WWF; Global Alliance for the Future of Food; Zambia; Agroecology Coalition
October 20, 2026
Closed-door workshop: Operationalizing KMGBF Target 16: Policy Pathways for Sustainable Consumption and Agrifood Transformation
Carlo Fadda
Director, AgrobiodiversityOrganizers: ProVeg International, Climate Focus, WWF, FAIRR
Systematic monitoring of agrobiodiversity on farm and in situ – an overview of approaches, tools and prospects
Carlo Fadda
Director, AgrobiodiversityOrganizers: CIP, CGIAR, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
October 21, 2026
Agrobiodiversity as roots of resilience in a changing world under geopolitical turmoil
Sarah K. Jones
ScientistOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Launch of special issue on the political economy of agroecological transitions
Organizers: IFPRI; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, The University of Calgary, Agroecology Coalition, Rockefeller Foundation, Ministry of Agrarian Development of Brazil
October 22, 2026
Inclusive Action for Biodiversity Outcomes: Gender Equality, Human Rights, and Community Engagement through NBSAPs
Organizers: Costa Rica; Eswatini; Tajikistan; NBSAP Accelerator Partnership; UNDP; UNEP; Alliance; GIZ
Rangelands, Drylands and Biodiversity: Strengthening Rio Convention Synergies for GBF Implementation
Carlo Fadda
Director, AgrobiodiversityOrganizers: WWF; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; IUCN; TNC; SNV; Ambition Loop
October 23, 2026
From Global Commitments to Local Action: Empowering Communities to Restore Landscapes and Biodiversity
Chris J Kettle
Principal Scientist, Lead Tree Biodiversity for Resilient LandscapesOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; IUCN; WB
October 24, 2026
October 26, 2026
FROM CELLS TO LANDSCAPES: Connecting genetic diversity, living seed systems and landscapes for biodiversity, resilience and equitable benefits
Organizers: ILRI; WorldFish; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Landscape Alliance; African Group of Negotiators (AGN); Seed Saver Network; Uganda Biodiversity Funds
Nature Credits as a catalyst for mobilizing finance for biodiversity: aligning public, private and territorial action to boost demand and deliver Target 19
Wendy Francesconi
Senior Environmental ScientistOrganizers: IFD
Restoring Ecosystems, Empowering Women: Advancing Rights, Inclusion and Equity in Practice
Marlène Elias
Director, Gender and InclusionOrganizers: CBD Women Caucus; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Synchronicity Earth; Asian Development Bank; IUCN-WCPA; Shen NGO; REFACOF; Togo; CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator
Setting the Table for Change: How food systems partnerships can accelerate implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework
Chiara Villani
Manager - Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE)Organizers: NFP; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Scaling Regenerative Agriculture for Nature and People: Pathways to Biodiversity-Positive Food Systems and Sustainable Livelihoods
Marcela Quintero
Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and InnovationOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; IUCN; Kingdom of the Netherlands; SNV
Dialogue on Rio Synergies
Chiara Villani
Manager - Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE)Organizers: WWF, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT
Multilateral cooperation for plant conservation and food security - implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Organizers: ITPGRFA; NordGen; CGIAR; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Crop Trust
October 27, 2026
Accelerating Action for Nature-Positive, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Chiara Villani
Manager - Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE)Organizers: IUCN
Systematic monitoring of agrobiodiversity on farm and in situ – Deep dive session with selected invitees
Organizers: CIP, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; Agricultural Research Organizations and Ministries of Agriculture from selected countries; selected farmers' and local communities' organizations; GEF coordination unit at FAO; iNaturalist; Raffaella Foundation; Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Food Systems Partnerships as a Lever for Biodiversity Action at Scale: Accelerating Implementation of the KMGBF
Marcela Quintero
Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and InnovationOrganizers: NFP; Kingdom of the Netherlands; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Naturalis; CL; PBL
Financing Nature-Positive Food Systems: Applying the Landscape Finance Approach to Deliver GBF Targets 10 and 18
Chiara Villani
Manager - Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE)Organizers: WWF; Agroecology Coalition; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; FAIRR; IISD; Rabobank; GIZ; ADB; Biovision Foundation
October 28, 2026
From Shared Agendas to Shared Action: Advancing Rio Convention Synergies through Nature-Positive Food Systems
Marcela Quintero
Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and InnovationOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Netherlands Food Partnership; Agroecology Coalition; Agroecology Europe; IUCN; French Water Partnership; BMZ/GIZ; WFF Youth Initiative; African Roots Transformation; World Future Council; SNV
Biodiversity for Food Security: Mobilizing Plant Genetic Diversity for Resilient Food Systems
Marlène Elias
Director, Gender and InclusionOrganizers: Crop Trust; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; RBG Kew; NYBG; ITPGRFA
TERRA and the Global Biodiversity Framework: Agroecology and Agroforestry as Pathways to Close the Implementation Gap
Wendy Francesconi
Senior Environmental ScientistOrganizers: CGIAR; FAO; Ministry for Agrarian Development of Brazil; IUCN; IIED
From commitment to practice: Co-designing gender-responsive biodiversity action
Marlène Elias
Director, Gender and InclusionOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; NBSAP Accelerator Partnership; UNEP; UNDP; CBD Secretariat; Antigua and Barbuda; Comoros; Costa Rica; Eswatini; Tajikistan; Thailand; Togo
Genebanks for the Future: Conserving Crop Diversity through Global Cooperation
Marcela Quintero
Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and InnovationOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; CGIAR; Crop Trust; ITPGRFA
From COP16 to COP17 and beyond: Accelerating KMGBF Implementation through Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition
Céline Termote
Senior Scientist - Africa Regional Team leader Food Environment and Consumer BehaviorOrganizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; FAO; CBD; GIYC
October 29, 2026
Pesticide reduction for people, planet and production
Organizers: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; CIRAD; FAO; WHO; UNFS; Agroecology Coalition; Research and Environment Ministries, Côte d’Ivoire; WBCSD - One Planet Business for Biodiversity; Women 4 Biodiversity; Thailand; Global Youth; IPBES
Agroecology as a Biodiversity-friendly approach: in principle, in policy and in practice
Marcela Quintero
Associate Director General, Research Strategy, and InnovationOrganizers: AE Coalition; WWF; Biovision Foundation; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Ministry of Family Farming and Agrarian Development (Brazil)
Accelerating the Transition: The Global Review, NBSAPs 3.0 and the Path to Nature-Positive Food Systems
Chiara Villani
Manager - Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE)Organizers: Biovision; WWF; Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; Global Alliance for the Future of Food; Agroecology Coalition
For more information, please contact: [email protected]
More information is also available on the CBD website
Cover photo credit: Levon Vardanyan
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