Business and Biodiversity Forum

COP 17 Blue Zone - Yerevan, Armenia

25 October 2026

*Information on the room will be made available in due course.

*Please note that all accredited participants with access badge to the venue (Blue Zone) will be able to attend the Business and Biodiversity Forum. No additional registration will be required.

1. Background

The seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity represents a pivotal moment for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). As the international community approaches the midpoint between the adoption of the Framework and its 2030 targets, COP17 will provide the first comprehensive opportunity for Parties to collectively assess progress and identify the actions needed to accelerate implementation.

The Global Review of collective progress presents the first evidence-based assessment of implementation under the KMGBF. It shows that implementation is clearly underway, with countries increasingly integrating biodiversity into national policies, strategies and programmes. However, it also demonstrates that progress remains uneven and insufficient to achieve the transformative change envisioned by the Framework. While advances are evident in project-based initiatives and sector-specific interventions, implementation remains considerably weaker where systemic economic and institutional change is required, including biodiversity mainstreaming across sectors, business accountability and transparency, sustainable production and consumption, the reform of incentives harmful to biodiversity and the mobilization of financial resources at the scale required. The findings point to a clear conclusion: incremental action will not be sufficient to achieve the goals and targets of the Framework by 2030.

The recently completed IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment reinforces this message by providing the most comprehensive scientific assessment to date of the relationship between business and biodiversity. The assessment concludes that all businesses depend on biodiversity and nature's contributions to people, while at the same time contributing to varying degrees, to biodiversity loss through their operations, value chains and investment decisions. It further demonstrates that businesses have the potential to become powerful agents of transformative change, provided they take concrete action to understand, avoid, reduce and address their impacts on biodiversity, rethink business models, and align corporate decision-making with long-term biodiversity outcomes. Achieving this transformation will also require an enabling environment characterized by coherent public policies, aligned financial systems, improved governance, robust data and knowledge, technological innovation and strengthened collaboration among governments, businesses, financial institutions, indigenous peoples and local communities, civil society and academia.

Against this backdrop, the seventh Business and Biodiversity Forum will provide a platform to move the conversation from ambition to implementation. Building on the findings of both the Global Review and the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment, the Forum will examine how governments, businesses and financial institutions can work together to accelerate implementation of the KMGBF and address the systemic barriers that continue to hinder progress. Rather than focusing solely on commitments, the Forum will emphasize practical solutions, transformative business leadership and the enabling conditions required to embed biodiversity into corporate strategies, investment decisions, value chains and economic systems. Through this dialogue, the Forum aims to demonstrate how
business can become a driving force in achieving the objectives of the KMGBF, particularly in relation to Targets 14, 15, 16, 18 and 19.

2. Objectives

Present the latest scientific and policy evidence on business and biodiversity, drawing on the findings of the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment and the Global Review
Explore how businesses can accelerate implementation of the KMGBF by addressing their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and contributing to transformative change.
Identify the policy, financial and governance conditions needed to enable businesses to transition towards biodiversity-positive business models.
Showcase practical examples of leadership, innovation and collaboration that demonstrate how business can contribute to achieving the goals and targets of the KMGBF.
Strengthen partnerships among governments, businesses, financial institutions and other stakeholders to accelerate collective action in the lead-up to COP18.

3. Programme

Time:	Session:
9:00 - 10:00	Opening Panel - The State of Business Action for Biodiversity The opening session will establish the strategic context for the Forum by drawing on the key messages emerging from the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment and the Global Review of collective progress in implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Together, these landmark assessments provide an evidence-based picture of the progress achieved, the implementation gaps that remain and the scale of action required to achieve the goals and targets of the Framework. Building on these findings, the discussion will examine why business and the financial sector are indispensable partners in implementation. It will explore the role of companies and financial institutions in advancing the transformative changes envisioned under the KMGBF, highlighting how business leadership, investment decisions and collaboration across sectors can help accelerate implementation. The session will establish the common foundation for the Forum's discussions on practical solutions and collective action.
10:00 - 10:20	Keynote Address - The IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment: Pathways for Transformative Change Building on the opening session, this keynote will highlight the key findings and policy-relevant messages of the IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment, examining the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss, the role of business in shaping outcomes for biodiversity, and the transformative changes needed to achieve the goals and targets of the KMGBF. It will present the assessment's key policy options for governments, businesses and other stakeholders, providing a forward-looking perspective on how business can contribute to the implementation of the KMGBF through transformative change, innovation and collaboration.
10:20 - 10:50	Fireside Conversation - Leading Through Complexity Building on the scientific and policy context established in the opening sessions, this fireside conversation will explore what leadership looks like as businesses navigate an increasingly complex operating environment. As climate change, biodiversity loss, resource constraints, shifting market expectations and geopolitical uncertainty increasingly intersect, business leaders are required to make decisions that balance resilience, competitiveness and long-term value creation. Through a candid conversation between senior leaders, the session will reflect on the challenges, trade-offs and opportunities of leading organizations through this evolving landscape while integrating biodiversity into broader corporate strategy. It will offer personal insights into leadership, ambition and collaboration in support of the implementation of the KMGBF.
10:50 - 11:10	Break
11:10 - 12:30	Panel Discussion 1 - From Nature Risk to Corporate Strategy As businesses increasingly assess their impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities related to biodiversity, the focus is shifting from understanding biodiversity to acting on that understanding. This session will explore how companies are translating insights generated through disclosure frameworks, risk assessments and other biodiversity-related tools into corporate strategy, governance, investment decisions and operational change. Drawing on practical business experience, the discussion will examine how biodiversity is being integrated into core business functions, the organizational changes required to support implementation, and the challenges of moving from measurement to meaningful action. The session will demonstrate how businesses are embedding biodiversity into decision-making as a driver of long-term resilience, innovation and value creation.
12:30 - 14:00	Lunch Break
14:00 - 15:20	Panel Discussion 2 - Transforming Systems: Scaling Change Across Sectors, Markets and Value chains While individual companies play a critical role in advancing biodiversity action, achieving the goals and targets of the KMGBF ultimately requires change across entire sectors, value chains and markets. This session will explore how different industries are driving system-wide change, drawing on experiences from sectors with distinct biodiversity challenges and opportunities.S Through a cross-sector dialogue, speakers will examine the conditions that enable transformation at scale, including collaboration across value chains, innovation, policy frameworks, market incentives and partnerships. By comparing experiences across sectors, the discussion will identify common lessons and practical approaches for accelerating implementation of the KMGBF throughout the economy.
15:20 - 16:40	Panel Discussion 3 - Mobilizing Capital for Biodiversity: Aligning Financial Flows and Incentives with the KMGBF Achieving the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will require both a significant increase in financial resources for biodiversity and a fundamental shift in the economic incentives that shape investment and business decisions. As reflected in Targets 18 and 19, governments, financial institutions and the private sector all have important roles to play in mobilizing capital, aligning financial flows with biodiversity objectives, and creating incentives that support sustainable business practices. Building on the discussions throughout the Forum, this session will explore how public and private finance can work together to accelerate implementation of the Framework. It will examine how financial institutions are integrating biodiversity into investment decisions and risk management, how governments can create enabling policy and incentive frameworks, and how innovative financing approaches and partnerships can help redirect capital towards activities that contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
16:40 - 17:30	Closing Dialogue - Scaling Implementation and the Pathway to 2030 The concluding session synthesizes the discussions held throughout the day and focuses on the practical actions required between COP17 and COP18. It aims to identify collective priorities for strengthening governance, finance, business models and partnerships needed to accelerate implementation of the Framework.

*Please note that speaker information will be made available in due course.