On September 29, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Armenia Robert Abisoghomonyan participated in and delivered opening remarks at the event entitled “National Dialogue on Gender, Biodiversity and COP17,” organized ahead of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

Deputy Minister Robert Abisoghomonyan emphasized that the priorities of the Armenian Presidency of COP17 are based on the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, stressing that effective biodiversity conservation is possible only through the meaningful and full engagement of all relevant stakeholders, including states, international organizations, women, youth, academia, and civil society.

The Deputy Minister noted that women play a key role in the transmission of traditional knowledge and the protection of nature. In this context, the steps undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Armenia on multilateral platforms to promote gender equality and rights-based approaches were presented.

Reference was also made to the events dedicated to women to be held within the framework of COP17, in particular the Women’s Forum scheduled for October 27.

Note: The “National Dialogue on Gender, Biodiversity and COP17” was co-organized by the Armenian Office of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, the Armenian Presidency of COP17, the Embassy of Sweden in Armenia, UN Women, and the CBD Women’s Caucus.