Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan highlighted the Coalition of Action to Recover Endangered Species (CARES), a joint initiative launched by Armenia and Colombia to unite countries’ efforts to recover threatened species, in his remarks at the COP17 opening ceremony in Yerevan.

Under the initiative, the governments of 17 founding countries are joining forces to implement Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

“Many threatened species urgently need our help. And we invite all Parties to join us,” the Armenian minister said.

Welcoming the delegates to Armenia, the environment minister noted that in recent years he had the opportunity to meet many of them in different parts of the world and that, after numerous travels and meetings, he was happy to welcome his partners to his home country.

He said that the following day he would officially assume the responsibility of presiding over COP17, with a strong sense of duty and optimism about joint action.

Addressing the upcoming negotiations, the minister emphasized the importance of being willing to overcome differences through dialogue.

“We may not agree on everything from the outset, and that is the spirit of multilateral negotiations. And perhaps that is why we need them: because through mutual respect, open dialogue, and a genuine willingness to listen, we can overcome our differences and make effective progress in biodiversity conservation. Although we have different perspectives, we share one responsibility, namely, to protect nature for future generations,” Matevosyan emphasized.

As the country presiding over COP17, he said, Armenia has worked with partners on initiatives aimed at turning goals into action.

In this context, he spoke about biodiversity monitoring, mountain and freshwater ecosystems, conservation programs, and incentives that deliver better outcomes for nature.