On October 24, the premiere screening of More Precious Than Gold: Amulsar Price, a film produced by EcoLur Informational NGO, took place at the International NGO Hub in the Blue Zone of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17). The event, titled “Amulsar Gold Mine Issue in the Context of COP17 Biodiversity Commitments,” brought together experts, environmentalists, and others concerned about the issue.
Following the screening, speakers included environmentalist Levon Galstyan, a representative of the Armenian Environmental Front; Mkrtich Dallakyan, Climate Change and Environment Program Coordinator at Yerevan office of Heinrich Böll Foundation; Yelena Manvelyan, President of Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment NGO; and Tehmine Yenokyan, President of Green Armenia NGO.
In her remarks, Inga Zarafyan, President of EcoLur Informational NGO, addressed environmental democracy under pressure, the impact of mining on biodiversity, and ongoing socio-environmental conflicts.
The event concluded with an active discussion among local and international guests and speakers.
Bringing the issue of Amulsar mine development into the context of COP17-the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity-and screening the documentary More Precious Than Gold: Amulsar Price mark an important milestone in bringing environmental concerns from the local level to the international stage.
“Strengthening Civil Society Leadership and Biodiversity Governance Ahead of COP17 in Armenia” project is implemented by EcoLur Informational NGO with the support of the Armenian branch of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Yerevan office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s South Caucasus Regional Office.
October 27, 2026 at 01:59