Deal still eludes nations on final day of UN nature summit

On the final day of the UN biodiversity summit in Yerevan, nations remain far from reaching a deal to halt nature destruction. Major disagreements persist despite nearly two weeks of negotiations in Armenia. Key issues include tackling harmful subsidies, improving financing for land and ocean protection, and boosting corporate contributions to the UN conservation fund.

A stocktake of global progress toward nature pledges also remains unresolved. Governments have struggled to bridge differences, with progress slow and major breakthroughs scarce since negotiations began on October 19. Irene Wabiwa from Greenpeace International stated, "We need to see concrete priorities coming out of the negotiations.

But unfortunately, this is not the case yet." UN biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker urged countries to "be bold and innovative" to find common ground, emphasizing the need to push through all critical topics before the summit's conclusion. The summit has been reviewing progress since nations pledged in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

A UN assessment warned the pace of action was insufficient to meet the 23 global targets set for 2030, including protecting 30% of land and oceans. However, a "global review" of recommendations remains in limbo after days of deliberations. Finding new sources of cash to fund conservation efforts is another obstacle, with the Cali Fund only attracting around US$10,000 so far.

Negotiations are expected to decide on the host for the next biodiversity summit in 2028 between Panama and Ecuador.