16/10/2026
Leader’s summit ahead of COP 17
Taking action for Nature ..
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Honourable Wynter Boipuso Mmolotsi, will today participate in the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity and associated meetings in Yerevan, Armenia.
Held under the theme “Leaders for Nature,” the Leaders’ Summit will bring together Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organisations, scientists, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and other stakeholders to strengthen political commitment and accelerate global action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
The Summit will serve as a high-level political platform ahead of the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (C*D COP17), providing an opportunity to advance the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
During his participation, Honourable Mmolotsi will represent Botswana’s interests in advancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, strengthening international cooperation and promoting equitable and nationally appropriate implementation of global biodiversity commitments. Botswana’s engagement will also focus on strengthening African and regional coordination, mobilising financial and technical resources, showcasing the country’s biodiversity-management experience and building strategic partnerships.
The Summit will address the links between biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, peace, security, prosperity and human well-being, while emphasising the need for increased public and private investment in biodiversity action.
Botswana’s participation in the Summit and associated meetings will reiterate the country’s commitment to international cooperation on biodiversity conservation and to advancing practical solutions that support ecosystem protection, sustainable livelihoods and long-term national development.
