Venezuela's National Assembly takes part in the biodiversity COP17 at Yerevan
29 October 2026
Venezuela's National Assembly sent a delegation to COP17, the seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Yerevan, Armenia from 19 to 30 October.
The deputies went as the Venezuelan chapter of the Parlamento Amazonico, the regional parliament for Amazon countries.
Deputy Oliver Rivas, who heads that chapter, and Deputy Maigualida Barrera made up the delegation.
Rivas told the meeting that Venezuela's Ley Organica de Minas carries seven articles on protecting the environment and bans the use of mercury in mining.
He described the Amazon as a guarantee against the climate crisis and said protecting the region means safeguarding the indigenous peoples living in it.
The Venezuelan members worked in the conference's second working group, on biological diversity and sustainable forest use.
The Assembly's own account says COP17 brings together representatives of 196 countries under the slogan "Actuar en favor de la naturaleza" and is the first review of progress towards the 2030 nature goals.
In plain words
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity — The UN treaty on conserving biological diversity; its member states meet at a Conference of the Parties.
Parlamento Amazonico Amazonian Parliament — A regional parliamentary body of Amazon basin countries; Venezuela has its own chapter.