Water stewardship, collective action and nature finance: seven sessions putting territories at the heart of biodiversity
From 19 to 30 October 2026, governments, businesses, financial institutions and civil society will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP17), one of the most important international events for keeping the debate on nature conservation alive and for designing societies that integrate nature into their development models. For the first time since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022, countries will jointly review progress towards its 23 targets for 2030, shifting the focus from commitments made to results achieved.
We at Etifor | Valuing Nature, an environmental consultancy, spin-off of the University of Padua and certified B Corp, will be in Yerevan as speakers in seven sessions, following our participation in COP16 in Cali. This year we will focus on the role of the territory as a management unit through which to read the impacts, risks and opportunities related to climate, biodiversity and natural resources.
Date
19-30 October 2026
Location
Yerevan, Armenia
Etifor sessions
21-29 October 2026
WHERE TO FIND US
Our sessions
We will present two cases in particular: the Arno Basin Water Resilience Lab, promoted by Kering, and the Lombardy Water Resilience Initiative. The key themes are water stewardship, collective action, public-private partnerships and innovative finance for biodiversity.
21 October
“From Fragmented Instruments to Connected Infrastructure: Building Europe’s Nature Finance and Governance Landscape” | Etifor will speak
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
An interactive session on how to connect European public funds, biodiversity credits, green bonds and local financing models, still fragmented today, from the EU level down to regional and local action.
22 October
“From Nature-based Solutions to Investable Water Landscapes: Using Ecosystem Service Valuation to Build Better Business Cases, Public–Private Partnerships and Water Resilience” | Etifor will speak
Time: 10:00 – 11:00
With IUCN, Civic Exchange and the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD): how ecosystem service valuation strengthens the business case for Nature-based Solutions and makes water landscapes more investable.
23 October
“From risk management to collective actions: Building resilience in watersheds – The Lombardy Water Initiative” | Etifor will speak
Time: 12:00 – 13:00
Together with the Lombardy Region, we will present the Water Resilience Initiative (WRI), a public-private blended finance model for NbS and biodiversity restoration that subnational governments can replicate to move from individual corporate stewardship to shared basin governance.
24 October
“Business and Biodiversity Platforms & Initiatives: Scaling Private Sector Action for Transformative Change” | Etifor will speak
Time: 10:00 – 10:45 | Where: COP17 Business and Finance Hub
A session hosted by the EU Business & Biodiversity Platform (EUBBP) on the role of platforms, networks and coalitions in turning biodiversity commitments into concrete action. The Overview Report on these initiatives is expected to be launched during the session.
26 October
“Public Procurement as a Biodiversity Lever: True Cost Accounting and True Pricing in Food Systems.” | Etifor will speak
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 | Where: Netherlands Pavilion, Blue Zone
A session hosted by Capitals Coalition on how public procurement can become a lever for biodiversity through true cost accounting and true pricing in food systems.
27 October
“Freshwater Targets in Practice: Collective Action and New Financing Models at Basin Scale” | Etifor will speak
Time: 12:30 – 13:30 | Where: Nature Positive Initiative Pavilion
A session hosted by Etifor on putting freshwater targets into practice at basin scale, through collective action and new financing models.
29 October
“Reconnecting with our Lost Rivers” | Etifor will speak
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 | Where: IUCN Pavilion
A session hosted by The Wildlife Trusts. We will join the panel on unlocking barriers to collective action to implement Nature-based Solutions at scale, including the role of the private sector and public-private partnerships.
WHY WE WILL BE AT COP17
International cooperation for nature
We are taking part because we believe that international cooperation and multilateralism are essential to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. No country, company or institution can manage systemic risks such as water risk on its own.
Shared solutions are needed, and global negotiations are where they can be discussed, as we also explained in our article on the environmental impact of wars.
