For 12 days this October, Yerevan will become a global stage for nature. From 19 to 30 October 2026, up to 10,000 participants will gather in Armenia’s capital for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), focused on one of the defining challenges of our time: how to turn global commitments into action for nature.
At the heart of this gathering will be more than 350 UN Volunteers. As delegates arrive from around the world, they will help make COP17 happen, supporting the conference and highlighting its message, “Taking Action for Nature,” far beyond the meeting rooms of Yerevan. For these volunteers, the assignment is about more than keeping one of Armenia’s largest international gatherings running smoothly. It is a chance to help turn a global conversation about nature into something visible, accessible and shared.
This is also Armenia’s first time hosting the UN biodiversity conference. The decision to hold COP17 in Yerevan was taken at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, where more than 800 UN Volunteers supported the conference.
Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said, “The work that we need to do around the world to halt and reverse biodiversity loss depends on people from all walks of life, all ages, all parts of society getting involved. That includes the essential contribution of volunteers. We will see this spirit out in full force again at the 2026 UN Biodiversity Conference in October in Armenia, and are so grateful to UN Volunteers for all the support to help make this conference a success.”
The majority of the volunteers, coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme, will serve in the Blue Zone. Around 20 will welcome participants at the UN Pavilion and support the One UN team, hosted by the Resident Coordinator’s Office, the United Nations Population Fund and the International Organization for Migration, with daily activities and side events throughout the conference.
Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator of UNV said, “Nature needs more than promises. It needs people who act. At COP17, more than 350 UN Volunteers will put their time, skills and energy behind that call. From Yerevan, their contribution will carry a message to the world: every action counts, every contribution matters, and everyone can be part of change.”
The contribution of UN Volunteers will also be recognized at the close of COP17 through a special International Volunteer Year event. Their role throughout the conference is perhaps best captured by one of COP17’s most visible symbols: a small 'blue butterfly' carrying a much bigger message. Polyommatus eriwanensis, a species found only in Armenia, inspired the COP17 logo.
For UN Volunteers, that idea has particular resonance. A gathering of thousands is ultimately built on individual acts of service, repeated hundreds of times, often away from the spotlight. Like the butterfly at the heart of COP17, their presence carries a simple idea: no contribution is too small when thousands choose to act. More than 350 UN Volunteers will prove it, one action at a time.
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