COP17: African CSOs strive to make their voices heard in Yerevan

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is taking place from 19 to 30 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. Four years after the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and four years ahead of the 2030 deadline, it must take stock of progress made and accelerate the implementation of the 23 global targets. Within the delegation of the French Committee of IUCN, four civil society organisations partnering with the PPI came to carry the voice of those working on the ground. 

Financing biodiversity: grassroots actors still on the sidelines 

Financing remains the most sensitive issue at this COP. The Global Framework aims to mobilise at least USD 200 billion per year by 2030, including USD 30 billion in international finance for developing countries. With negotiations still under way, delegations continue to disagree on the level of funding, on which countries should contribute and on the mechanisms responsible for managing it. 

The question of resources directly concerns local civil society organisations (CSOs). Rooted in their territories, they deliver concrete and lasting solutions for natural resource management and contribute to achieving the objectives of the Global Framework. 

Negotiating texts regularly call for greater inclusion of local CSOs and Indigenous Peoples, yet these intentions still translate into little recognition and funding. 

The 50 NGOs with the largest annual budgets are all large international NGOs, most of them American. The top five organisations in this ranking capture 50% of the funding. 

Local CSOs also remain insufficiently visible at major international conferences, where institutions and international organisations are omnipresent. 

In this context, the PPI accompanied four of its partners to Yerevan (Eco-Bénin, SOS Savane, ABOYERD and Mbou-Mon-Tour) to help them: 

• gain recognition for their contribution to global targets by speaking at sessions and side events; 

• meet technical and financial partners, and thereby create funding opportunities to support their activities. 

An episode of the RFI radio programme C’est pas du vent was recorded in French on the theme “COP 17 Biodiversity in Yerevan, Armenia: what difference does it make on the ground?”. It featured Stéphanie Bouziges-Eschmann of the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), Paul Estève of the Small-Scale Initiatives Programme (PPI) of the French Committee of IUCN, Clément Aubert of Nature Conserv’action, Augustine Kasambule of the NGO Mbou-Mon-Tour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Farid Bahleman Amadou of the NGO SOS Savane in Benin. 

What our partners have to say 

A gap between commitments and results 

With four years to go until 2030, a sense of urgency runs through every testimony. Augustine Kasambule, of Mbou-Mon-Tour, questions the gap between promises and action: “I ask myself: in the four years we have left, will we really be able to implement all the good decisions taken, all the good intentions?” 

Valery Binda, of the Cameroonian organisation ABOYERD, shares this view: “Time is short, resources are limited, and we have barely four years to go. We need to revisit the plans we made at the outset.” 

Improving local actors’ access to funding 

The second message concerns resources. Valery Binda came to urge decision-makers to strengthen their technical, technological and financial support to local conservation actors: “Without putting these local leaders at the forefront, I am afraid we might not meet our targets.” 

Augustine Kasambule highlights the complexity of procedures: “Local organisations work hard and achieve great results, but because of technical and administrative difficulties, they are unable to access funding.” She calls on donors to simplify these procedures. 

Speaking up for less-supported ecosystems 

For SOS Savane, a Beninese organisation, the aim was to point out that not all ecosystems receive the same attention. Farid Amadou Bahleman explains: “We are here to carry the voice of savannah ecosystems, which are mostly neglected, at a time when most funding and support goes to forest ecosystems.” The organisation was able to discuss the conservation of threatened species, particularly vultures, with various donors. 

A first COP, between learning and hope 

For several partners, this conference was a first. Mikhaïl Padonou, of Eco-Bénin, saw the scale of what remains to be done, but also the commitment of many actors: “Seeing so many people from different backgrounds engaged in multilateralism for biodiversity conservation motivates me and helps me keep hope that all is not yet lost.” 

The meetings also helped build connections. What Augustine Kasambule takes away from this COP is her exchanges with organisations from other continents, working on savannahs or on environmental education in cities: “I realised that we are not alone. Others do it differently, and it all contributes to this great result.” 

Commitments to be carried through to the ground 

In Yerevan, the PPI’s partners stressed that the 2030 targets cannot be met without the actors working closest to the territories. The compromises expected must therefore translate into accessible funding, simpler procedures and recognition for local organisations.