Brazil's genetic resources proposal carries into the Yerevan Path at the biodiversity COP17

31 October 2026

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity closed in Yerevan, Armenia with a final document agreed by consensus in the early hours of Saturday and named the Yerevan Path. Brazil's proposal on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources was taken onto the agenda, and the decision that followed makes consultations with countries, indigenous peoples and local communities a requirement, with countries also asked to put forward options for strengthening the sustainable use of those resources. Brazil also pressed for ecological connectivity and for green and blue conservation corridors, but its aim of adding a fifth programmatic element to the Programme of Work on Protected Areas was not adopted and the subject was only referred to for later forums. The COP17 presidency announced more than USD 1.8 billion in financial commitments from governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropies and private initiatives. Parties also set up a working group to turn at least USD 500 billion of nature-harming support into positive subsidies. The Cali Fund, created at COP16, remains stalled.