How can civil society participate in the Green Zone and Blue Zone of the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will take place in Yerevan this October? What participation opportunities and formats are available?
These questions were addressed by Lilit Midoyan, Head of the COP17 Green Zone, during the workshop "The Civil Society Agenda Ahead of the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity," held on June 17.
The workshop, organized by Ecolur Information NGO in cooperation with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, brought together representatives of the Ministry of Environment, civil society organizations, scientific and educational institutions, international organizations, local communities, and regional administrations.
According to the speaker, civil society participation in the Blue Zone of the Convention on Biological Diversity is organized through a number of stakeholder groups.
"Local organizations wishing to participate in meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity or to have representation at the Conferences of the Parties can do so through various stakeholder groups established under the Convention. Nearly all of these groups have an international coordinator or representative who advocates on behalf of the group during the COPs. Since the COP is hosted by different countries each time, this system was created to organize the participation of civil society and other stakeholders," said Lilit Midoyan.
There are nine major stakeholder groups, established in 1992 under Agenda 21.
- Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities – The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB)
https://iifb-indigenous.org/about-us/ - Women – CBD Women Caucus
https://cbdwomenscaucus.org/ - Scientific and Technological Community (Academia)
https://www.cbd.int/cooperation/whole/science.shtml - Non-Governmental Organizations (CBD Alliance)
https://www.cbd-alliance.org/en - Children and Youth – Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)
https://gybn.org/ - Workers and Trade Unions
https://www.cbd.int/cooperation/whole/Parliamentarians.shtml - Local Authorities
https://www.global-taskforce.org/local-authorities-major-group - Farmers
- Business and Industry
Participation in the COP17 Blue and Green Zones
COP17 will feature two principal venues: the Blue Zone and the Green Zone.
The Blue Zone will be located at the Meridian Expo Center, while the Green Zone will be hosted at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.
The Blue Zone is managed by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and is primarily accessible to accredited national delegations, accredited observers, and members of the media.
According to Lilit Midoyan, one of the opportunities for local civil society organizations to participate in the Blue Zone is to obtain observer accreditation from the CBD Secretariat.
Another option is participation in the parallel forums organized during COP17.
Seven parallel forums are planned:
- Business Forum (25 October)
- Finance Forum (26 October)
- Nature and Culture Forum (24–25 October)
- Youth Forum
- Science Forum (24–25 October)
- Cities Summit (24 October)
- Women's Forum (27 October)
Lilit Midoyan noted that another opportunity for civil society organizations to engage in the Blue Zone is by organizing side events.
According to her, some organizations have already attempted to submit applications, but due to technical issues, applications have not always reached the Convention Secretariat. She emphasized that all Blue Zone events are organized exclusively by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The Green Zone, by contrast, will be managed by the Republic of Armenia as the COP17 Presidency.
According to Lilit Midoyan, the Green Zone is intended to facilitate broader participation by civil society organizations, scientific and educational institutions, local communities, and other stakeholder groups. Registration will also be required for participation, and a dedicated website for this purpose will be launched shortly.
Participation opportunities in the Green Zone will include:
- reserving exhibition booths;
- delivering presentations;
- organizing workshops;
- developing other cultural, educational, and scientific activities.
The Green Zone will comprise several dedicated areas, including:
- an exhibition booth area;
- a science and innovation zone;
- a cultural zone;
- an exhibition space;
- a media zone;
- a main stage with a capacity of approximately 1,000–1,200 participants; and
- meeting rooms for workshops and discussions.
According to Lilit Midoyan, the Green Zone is expected to accommodate approximately 160 exhibition booths. NGOs will have the option of renting an individual booth or joining together with other organizations to present their initiatives collectively.
In addition to the exhibition booths, panel discussions, workshops, and seminars will be available to civil society participants free of charge. "The sessions are free of charge, and we provide the stage in its entirety," the speaker said, adding, "As an NGO, you can submit your proposal, present your initiative, and receive the opportunity to organize a discussion."
This article was prepared within the framework of “Supporting Armenia's CBD COP Presidency and Domestic Implementation” project, which is implemented by Ecolur Informational NGO in cooperation with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
The views expressed within the framework of the project do not necessarily reflect the views of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute.
July 02, 2026 at 15:32