India Unveils Four Publications on Biodiversity, Biosafety and Access and Benefit Sharing at CBD COP-17 in Yerevan

Key facts

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav addressed a side event at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP-17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Yerevan, Armenia, on 28 October 2026.
• The side event, titled 'From Policy to Practice: Advancing India's Biodiversity Commitments through Innovation, Finance, ABS and OECMS', was organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• India released four publications: Guidelines for the Designation of India's Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026, the 5th National Report on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Convention on Biological Diversity Handbook: Reference Guide and Indian Perspective, and India's ABS Success Story.
• Yadav said the Nagoya Protocol provides the basis for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and stressed translating it into workable, transparent and equitable procedures.
• Armenia's Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan, President of CBD COP17, and Dr Taukondjo Shikongo, Head of the Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) unit of the CBD Secretariat, attended the event and appreciated India's efforts.
• Yadav reaffirmed India's commitment to implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including South-South learning and international cooperation on finance and technology.