UN experts warn COP17 of stalled biodiversity progress; urgent rights‑based action needed

UN experts warn COP17 of stalled biodiversity progress; urgent rights‑based action needed

UN Secretary‑General António Guterres is expected to attend the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

By PATRICK MAYOYO

UN human rights experts have urged governments to accelerate action to halt the global loss of biodiversity, warning that sluggish implementation of internationally agreed targets could undermine conservation efforts and expose vulnerable communities to environmental harm.

Ahead of COP17, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which begins in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 19, the experts urged states to place human rights at the heart of biodiversity policies—including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. They emphasized that protecting nature must go hand in hand with safeguarding the rights, livelihoods and participation of the people who depend on it.

The experts expressed concern that, despite unprecedented international engagement, implementation of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) remains slow. They highlighted persistent shortcomings in the participation of communities directly concerned with conservation, the protection of environmental human‑rights defenders, and the integration of gender equality into biodiversity governance.

The experts said that collective implementation of the agreed targets to address global biodiversity loss has been slow, warning that the pace of progress does not match the urgency of the crisis.

The experts included Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; Shalmali Guttal (Chair); Carlos Duarte; Davit Hakobyan; Uche Ofodile; Geneviève Savigny; and the Working Group on Peasants and other people working in rural areas.

Other members were Elisa Morgera, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, and Bethanie Caney Almroth, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes.

Adopted in December 2022 at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) sets out an international roadmap for protecting biodiversity and reversing nature loss by 2030, with longer‑term goals extending to 2050. It defines four long‑term goals for 2050 and 23 action‑oriented targets for 2030.

The framework aims to address the loss of ecosystems and species, promote the sustainable use of biological resources, and ensure that benefits derived from genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably. Its headline ambitions include conserving at least 30 % of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030, restoring degraded ecosystems and reducing the pressures driving biodiversity decline.

Crucially, the framework also recognises that biodiversity protection is inseparable from human rights, social justice and the meaningful involvement of affected communities.

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The UN experts stressed that the agreement calls for a human‑rights‑based approach and a whole‑of‑society effort, recognising the right to a healthy environment and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to their lands, territories, resources and traditional knowledge.

These protections extend to groups whose contributions are often overlooked in environmental decision‑making, including peasants, small‑scale fishers, women, children, young people and persons with disabilities. The framework also stresses the need to ensure the full protection of environmental human‑rights defenders.

The forthcoming COP17 will provide a crucial opportunity to assess collective progress under the global biodiversity framework. For the first time, countries will conduct a global stocktake of implementation, examining whether commitments are translating into meaningful action.

However, the experts warned that the exercise must go beyond compiling national reports, counting protected areas or recording policy commitments. Without robust, rights‑based indicators capable of measuring tangible changes on the ground, they cautioned, the review risks becoming an accounting exercise that fails to reveal whether agreed targets are being achieved or whether communities are benefiting from conservation measures.

For conservation policies to deliver lasting results, the experts said, monitoring must capture not only environmental outcomes but also the protection of rights, the fairness of decision‑making and the effective participation of those most affected.

This includes examining whether communities have a meaningful voice in decisions concerning their territories, whether environmental defenders can carry out their work safely, and whether conservation measures respect the rights and livelihoods of local populations.

Astrid Puentes Riaño, Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and Elisa Morgera, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. PHOTO/UGC.

The experts called for an intersectional, inclusive approach to biodiversity governance that recognises the different experiences, needs and vulnerabilities of communities.

Women, children, young people, Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent, peasants, coastal populations, small‑scale fishers and other rural communities must be involved in designing, implementing, monitoring and reporting conservation initiatives.

They warned against categorising these groups merely as generic “non‑State actors”, arguing that such descriptions can obscure their distinct rights and their role as essential partners in protecting ecosystems. Instead, governments must recognise them explicitly as rights‑holders whose knowledge, experiences and participation are central to effective conservation.

The experts also stressed that biodiversity policies must align with international human rights law and relevant standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas.

They further pointed to guidance and jurisprudence developed by international human rights bodies, including those addressing children’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities and the elimination of discrimination against women.

The experts said effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the KMGBF must be treated as a priority by governments, businesses and United Nations entities.

States, in particular, must exercise stringent due diligence to prevent environmental harm and protect biodiversity and ecosystems in accordance with their international obligations. The experts referred to advisory opinions issued by the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights as important sources of legal guidance on States’ environmental responsibilities.

Their intervention reinforces a central message ahead of COP17: biodiversity protection cannot be measured solely by hectares conserved, species counted or targets reported. It must also be assessed by whether environmental policies respect human rights, protect vulnerable communities and ensure that the people most affected have a meaningful role in shaping decisions.

As governments prepare to review progress under the global framework, the experts called for renewed urgency, stronger accountability and genuine public participation.

They reiterated that human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, must remain at the heart of all efforts to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

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