Tokayev attends biodiversity leaders' summit opening in Yerevan

The Leaders' Summit on biodiversity has opened in Yerevan, Armenia. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the ceremony at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex together with the heads of several states. Guests were shown an interactive show about nature conservation. According to a statement from the Akorda presidential press service, the show is meant to stress the «global significance of biodiversity conservation and careful attitude to the planet's natural heritage».

According to the website of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the summit is held under the motto «Leaders for Nature» and brings together heads of state and government, international organisations, scientists and representatives of indigenous peoples. Its main sessions are scheduled for 16 October. The aim of the meeting is to secure political support for accelerating nature conservation ahead of COP17 in Yerevan, which runs from 19 to 30 October.

At COP17, countries will for the first time jointly assess implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, which contains 23 targets up to 2030. Tokayev arrived in Yerevan at the invitation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.