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David Songulashvili Meets with Council of Europe and Bern Convention Representatives in Yerevan
On the sidelines of the high-level Ministerial Segment of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, bilateral meetings were held between the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Mr David Songulashvili, and Mr Rafael Benitez, the Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment of the Council of Europe, as well as Alessandra Sillini, Secretary General of the Bern Convention.
During the meetings, the parties discussed the importance of strengthening international cooperation on biodiversity conservation, expanding the protected areas network, and fulfilling commitments undertaken under the Bern Convention.
“Cooperation with the Bern Convention and international partners, alongside stronger regional cooperation, is essential to achieving the 2030 targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Georgia stands ready to make an active contribution to their implementation,” stated Mr David Songulashvili.
Following the meetings, the Georgian Pavilion hosted an event entitled “Strengthening Protected Areas under the Bern Convention,” opened by Mr Rafael Benitez.
During the event, Minister Songulashvili outlined Georgia’s progress in expanding and managing protected areas, noting that, when areas of national and international importance, including Emerald Network sites, are taken into account, the total coverage reaches nearly 23% of the country’s territory, marking significant progress towards achieving global biodiversity targets.
The Minister also highlighted Georgia’s achievements in species and habitat conservation and restoration, including the approval of the National Species Recovery Plan and ongoing measures, aiming to restore six species.
The event continued with a panel discussion featuring Mr Carlo Amirgulashvili, Chair of the Bern Convention, the Secretary General of the Bern Convention, and representatives of the CBD Secretariat and the Ministry’s Biodiversity Policy Department.