This is a post from one of our Patrons, His Eminence Serafim Kykotis, Metropolitan of Zimbabwe and Angola, representative of the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa to International Organizations & Patron of Pan Orthodox Concern for Animals https://panorthodoxconcernforanimals.org/who-we-are/)
The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan: The Crisis of Creation, the Economy of Death, and the Imperative for Ecological Repentance
From October 19 to 30, 2026, the heart of global environmental diplomacy beats in Yerevan, Armenia, which hosts the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) [COP-17 Official website]. The term COP17 signifies the 17th annual session of the global conference of Nations for the protection of biodiversity. This historic journey began with the first conference (COP1), held in 1994 in Nassau, Bahamas, laying the foundations for international cooperation. This critical global gathering takes place at a time when the destruction of nature directly threatens the very survival of humanity. In his opening address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a dramatic message, emphasizing that “humanity’s ongoing war against nature must finally stop.” This statement echoes the words of the great humanitarian and Nobel Laureate Albert Schweitzer, who warned: “Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying the earth.”
1. Purpose and Participation: Humanity in Numbers
The primary objective of the meeting in Yerevan is the first global stocktake of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Conference brings together more than 10.000 to 15.000 delegates, representing 196 countries that have signed and ratified the Convention (195 sovereign states and the European Union). Concurrently, dozens of other entities actively participate as Observers, including non-party states (such as the USA), specialized UN agencies, international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), indigenous communities, and faith-based organizations. The Executive Secretary of the UN Convention, Astrid Schomaker, highlighted the importance of this collective effort, stating: “There is progress, but we must not be naive: much more needs to be done.” This need for global solidarity reminds us of the dictum of Nobel Laureate physicist Albert Einstein: “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
2. The Cry of Africa and the Reality of Zimbabwe
As someone who lives and ministers in Africa, I experience daily that the African continent, despite possessing some of the richest and most pristine ecosystems on the planet, stands at the absolute frontline of environmental devastation. Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change, poaching, illegal deforestation, and the extraction of resources by foreign interests.
Particularly in Zimbabwe, the protection of biodiversity is a matter of national survival. Although the country boasts magnificent national parks (such as Hwange and Mana Pools) and implements the pioneering CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources), it faces immense pressures. The prolonged drought induced by El Niño triggers severe food insecurity, depletes water sources, threatens the lives of thousands of elephants and wildlife species, and escalates human-wildlife conflict. Africa does not seek charity at COP17, but rather justice and the fulfillment of international financial commitments. This trial of the continent recalls the words of the renowned Nobel Laureate author Wole Soyinka: “The human heart remains the same, whether it beats under the skin of a European or an African” – and the destruction of nature wounds us all equally.
3. The Shocking Data of Biological Annihilation
To comprehend the necessity of a radical human transformation, we must confront the relentless evidence provided by the official reports of IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature):
Recorded Extinctions: The IUCN Red List confirms the absolute extinction of approximately 900 to 1,000 known species since 1500 AD.
The True Scale: The modern extinction rate driven by human activity is 100 to 1,000 times higher than the natural background rate, with scientists estimating that up to 27,000 species are lost every single year.
Population Loss: Within just 50 years, global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 69% to 70%, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report.
The Sixth Mass Extinction: Humans, who constitute merely 0.01% of the total biomass of living organisms on Earth, are historically responsible for the annihilation of 99% of the species lost during the modern era. Today, the UN warns that 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with imminent extinction.
Welcoming the leaders, the President of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, insightfully reminded the assembly that «the protection of ecosystems is a prerequisite for global security and peace.» This tragic reality of human destructiveness brings to mind the words of Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai: “With guns you can kill terrorists, but with education you can kill terrorism” — and in this context, a new education of respect toward nature is required.
4. Military Spending vs. Protection of Life: The Failure of Governments
At COP17, a tragic truth is unveiled: the international community appears unable to implement the protection of nature in practice. This occurs primarily because modern governments — especially those of wealthy nations — choose to exponentially increase their financial allocations, often through loans, for military expenditures and destructive, lethal weaponry.
It is morally unacceptable that trillions are squandered on weapons that slaughter human lives and level Nature, while the very same governments claim a financial “inability” to allocate the necessary funds to save endangered species. This global “economy of death” leads to unpredictable, catastrophic consequences that will irreversibly harm the survival of Humanity and our Planet. As the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi profoundly declared: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
5. The Witness of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
Amidst this bleak landscape, the World Council of Churches (WCC) participates dynamically in COP17, conveying a powerful moral dimension. The WCC, through its official statements, highlights two central points:
In its special report for COP17, it underscores that “biodiversity goals will turn from promise to practice only if the voices of indigenous peoples and local communities are placed at the absolute center of decision-making.”
In another recent report, the WCC points out that “the financial resources allocated for nature conservation are a drop in the ocean compared to the billions required, as long as banks and governments continue to fund ecological destruction.”
The leadership of the WCC provided the spiritual blueprint of the crisis. The Moderator of the WCC Central Committee, Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, proclaimed that “the destruction of biodiversity is a deep spiritual disease that demands immediate repentance,” while the WCC General Secretary, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, added with prophetic words: “We cannot talk about peace among humans while we continue a violent war against God’s Creation.” This stance aligns seamlessly with the vision of Nobel Peace Laureate Nelson Mandela: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.”
6. The Voice of Africa: The Patriarchal Intervention
In this global endeavor, the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria offers its living testimony from the frontlines of the African continent. His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, who has been officially recognized by the UN for his environmental work, has stated with deep grief and pastoral responsibility:
“Under no circumstances is man permitted to create an adversarial relationship with his environment. We witness with sorrow nature being treated with inhumane arrogance as an enemy to be pillaged and violated, transforming it into a vast graveyard. As Christians and as Pastors in Africa, we must assume our responsibilities to save our Planet, because our flock hungers and thirsts for justice.”
This patriarchal decree resonates with the legacy of the great African Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai: “The environment and the natural resources are our life. If we destroy them, we destroy ourselves.”
Conclusion: Our Edenic Responsibility and the Protection of Animals
As Christians and as members of world religions—recalling that 80% of the global population identify as religious believers—we must realize that the solution to this ecological crisis is not merely technocratic. It requires a radical human transformation through “ecological repentance” (ecological metanoia) — a profound conversion of the heart and mind. This spiritual shift must awaken our deep sensitivity and responsibility toward animals, a sacred duty that traces back to the very Dawn of Creation in Paradise.
Scripture reveals that before any human civilization or exploitation began, God placed animals under human care, inviting Adam to know them and embrace them as part of the divine family:
“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.” (Genesis 2:19-20)
By naming the animals, humanity entered into a relationship of kinship, guardianship, and cosmic love with them. Today, our cruelty, neglect, and systemic destruction of animal habitats represent a severe betrayal of this Edenic trust. We must strongly affirm that by protecting animals and preserving the sacred biodiversity of our fauna, we directly safeguard the very survival of humanity. Every living creature is an irreplaceable thread in the fabric of life created by God.
May COP17 in Yerevan inspire us to stand before nature not as ruthless owners, but as servants and caretakers dedicated to protecting God’s Creation, as a holy gift for all human beings and for all generations to come. It is time for humanity to choose the path of life, compassion, and co-existence over militarism, greed, and annihilation.