At the Armenia National Pavilion in the Blue Zone of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), a panel discussion titled “From Recognition to Resources: Financing Diverse Custodians of Nature for Target 3” took place, during which the financial outcomes and recommendations of the Yerevan Conservation Symposium were presented. The discussion was moderated by Oliver Avramoski, Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (IUCN ECARO), and featured speakers Parvin Panjabi Amo, representative of the Ministry of Environment of Panama; Ralph Yirikian, CEO of Ucom; Hanieh Moghani of the ICCA Consortium; and Ruben Khachatryan, Founder and Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).
The event brought together representatives of international organizations, civil society, the private sector, and state institutions on a single platform to discuss prospects for the sustainable development of non-state and community-conserved areas. The speakers addressed practical mechanisms that will enable a transition from the official recognition of these territories to the introduction of direct, sustainable, and long-term financing systems on the path toward achieving Target 3 (30x30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Participants in the discussion emphasized the importance of applying the recommendations formulated as a result of the Yerevan Conservation Symposium, underscoring that it is through close multi-stakeholder collaboration and predictable financial instruments that the effective operation of diverse custodians of nature can be fully ensured.