YEREVAN, ARMENIA – Solomon Islands has advocated for key national and regional biodiversity priorities at the Seventeenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), being held in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026, under the theme “Taking Action for Nature.”
The high-level global conference brought together Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), alongside the Twelfth Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CP-MOP-12) and the Sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (NP-MOP-6).
As a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, Solomon Islands participated in discussions and negotiations aimed at strengthening global cooperation and accelerating action to conserve biodiversity and ensure its sustainable use.
COP17 is particularly significant as it marks the first global review of collective progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), providing an important opportunity to assess progress, identify implementation gaps and strengthen international support for biodiversity conservation.
For Solomon Islands and other Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), the negotiations are critical in ensuring that global biodiversity commitments translate into practical action, adequate financing and meaningful support for countries that are highly dependent on healthy marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Among the key priorities being advanced by Solomon Islands and PSIDS is the need for a strengthened biodiversity finance architecture that provides predictable, grant-based financing and direct, simplified access for Small Island Developing States, without adding to their debt burdens.
The Pacific is also calling for greater recognition of customary governance systems, traditional knowledge, community-led conservation, Indigenous and traditional territories, and locally managed marine areas as essential contributions to global biodiversity protection.
Another key priority is ensuring the effective operationalisation of the Cali Fund, including timely commercial contributions and a fair allocation methodology that recognises biodiversity richness, marine areas, endemism, customary stewardship and the capacity constraints faced by SIDS.
Solomon Islands also emphasised the need for increased financial and technical assistance to support national biodiversity targets, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), ecosystem restoration, threatened species protection, forests, marine and coastal ecosystems, invasive species management and biodiversity monitoring.
Furthermore, the country supports flexible, proportionate and harmonised planning, monitoring and reporting requirements, backed by regional data systems, capacity-building, training and sustained technical cooperation.
During the first week of the conference, the Solomon Islands delegation engaged in negotiations, participated in expert panel discussions and joined various interactive initiatives, contributing to discussions on advancing collective action for biodiversity conservation.
Solomon Islands’ participation reflects its continued commitment to protecting its rich natural heritage, strengthening community-based conservation and ensuring that international biodiversity commitments respond to the realities and priorities of Pacific island countries.
The conference concluded on 31 October 2026, with Parties seeking to establish a clear pathway for accelerated action by governments and communities towards protecting nature and biodiversity.
Source: Ministry of Environment Climate Change & Disaster Management
