Calls for reform of the United Nations biodiversity summits are intensifying as governments consistently fail to meet targets aimed at halting the destruction of the natural world. At the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) held last week in Yerevan, Armenia, environment ministers, activists, and officials urged substantial changes to the summit process to improve accountability and effectiveness.

Despite a landmark agreement reached just four years ago to transform humanity’s relationship with nature, progress remains alarmingly slow. For example, the United Kingdom is on course to meet only three out of 23 established biodiversity targets. This shortfall reflects a broader pattern; in the 34-year history of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), no single target has ever been fully achieved.

Juan Carlos Navarro, Panama’s environment minister and an experienced conservationist, criticized the current system as fundamentally flawed. He described the consensus-based decision-making process as allowing even a single dissenting party to block agreements, calling it a mechanism “designed to fail.” Navarro suggested that decisions should instead require majority approval to prevent isolated objections from stalling progress. He expressed frustration with what he characterized as insincere speeches and inaction at the summit.

Navarro also revealed Panama’s intention to host the next COP in two years and vowed to press other governments more vigorously into fulfilling their commitments if his country is selected. Furthermore, he proposed consolidating multiple environmental summits—including those dedicated to climate, biodiversity, and plastics—into a single, annual COP under the UN framework to streamline efforts.

Negotiations in Yerevan also saw contentious debates over the language of ambition in the final agreement. Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia were reported to have sought to dilute provisions aimed at strengthening environmental protection. Meanwhile, disagreements persisted among wealthier nations regarding financial commitments to increase biodiversity funding to $30 billion annually by 2030. European countries pressed for an expanded list of donor states, challenging the continued classification of economic powers such as China and some Gulf states as developing countries under UN rules, despite their substantial economic growth.

These developments coincide with prior calls from policy experts attending the upcoming COP29 in 2024, who have characterized the existing summit format as “no longer fit for purpose.” Experts advocate for a shift in focus toward implementation rather than negotiation, emphasizing the urgent need to translate commitments into measurable action. The growing dissatisfaction underscores a critical juncture in global biodiversity governance, as the international community grapples with the escalating crisis of nature loss worldwide.