UN Biodiversity Conference COP17 Receives $500 Million Finance Boost for Nature
YEREVAN, Armenia — National and sub-national governments announced over $500 million in new financial pledges to support global biodiversity action during Finance Day at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The funding expands resources managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.Major Financial Contributions
- GEF-9 Replenishment Approaches $4.4 Billion: Spain pledged €50 million—a 60 percent increase over its GEF-8 contribution—and Uzbekistan announced a $4.5 million contribution to the ninth replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-9). Coupled with a reaffirmed £330 million pledge from the United Kingdom, total GEF-9 commitments for the 2026–2030 period are now near $4.4 billion.
- $60 Million in New GBFF Funding: Germany, Iceland, Monaco, the province of Québec, and the city of Berlin pledged over $60 million to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. Germany confirmed it will contribute an additional €50 million to the fund before the end of 2026.
- First Municipal Contributor: The city of Berlin became the first city to pledge directly to the GBFF.
- COP17 Presidency Commitment: Armenia confirmed its intention to become a donor country to the GBFF.
Official Reactions
“Today’s pledges send a powerful signal: our partnership is ready to move from ambition to action for nature,” said Diego Mesa Puyo, GEF CEO and Chairperson. He stated that the vote of confidence will help integrate environmental action into development priorities and mobilize private capital.
Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, welcomed the multi-year commitments and city-level participation as encouraging signs of growing global momentum for biodiversity finance.
Hambardzum Matevosyan, Minister of Environment of Armenia and President of COP17, highlighted the achievements of multilateral cooperation and noted internal discussions regarding Armenia’s financial contribution.Progress and Fund Allocation
Since its launch in August 2023, the GBFF has gathered $446 million in commitments across 14 sovereign and two subnational governments. A total of $362.1 million has already been programmed across 82 projects in 87 countries, including 47 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
The fund has surpassed key targets, directing 39 percent of programmed resources to SIDS and LDCs, and 32 percent to support actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs).
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