Following a request submitted by the Government of Armenia through the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism, an in-person knowledge exchange was held at the Ministry of Environment of Armenia in Yerevan from 25–27 June 2026. The exchange connected officials from the Governments of Armenia and Colombia through a practical peer-to-peer dialogue focused on COP Presidency experiences, supporting Armenia’s preparations for the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17).

The experience brought together Armenian counterparts responsible for negotiations, communications, Green Zone planning, logistics, participation, and institutional coordination, alongside the Colombian delegation, including Claudia Daza, Felipe Cobo, and Catalina Haydar, who shared first-hand experience from the preparation, delivery, and Presidency of COP16. The exchange was jointly organized by the Governments of Armenia and Colombia, in collaboration with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the local facilitation team, which together provided technical, thematic, logistical, and coordination support. Rather than a series of formal presentations, the exchange was designed as an interactive working session where Armenian officials could raise detailed operational questions and explore practical solutions grounded in Colombia’s recent experience.

Discussions spanned governance and institutional coordination, political leadership and diplomacy, communications and public engagement, operational planning and logistics, participation and inclusion in the Green Zone, and security and accessibility. Colombia underscored that hosting a COP requires a whole-of-government approach, having coordinated across eighteen ministries during COP16 preparations, alongside dedicated committees supporting negotiations, logistics, communications, and protocol. Participants also discussed Colombia’s “Peace with Nature” communications narrative, which positioned COP16 as a national project, as well as approaches to creating an inclusive Green Zone bringing together Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, youth, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

Throughout the sessions, participants explored how Colombia’s experience could be adapted — not replicated — to fit Armenia’s own institutional context, recognizing that every COP Presidency reflects different national priorities while facing many common operational challenges. On 27 June, the programme concluded with a field visit to protected areas and natural reserves outside Yerevan, offering an informal setting to continue technical discussions while strengthening relationships between the two delegations.

This exchange illustrates how the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership’s MatchMaking Mechanism responds to country-driven requests by connecting governments with relevant expertise and facilitating practical South–South cooperation. By linking Colombia’s experience as COP16 Presidency with Armenia’s preparations for COP17, the mechanism accelerated knowledge transfer, strengthened institutional capacity, and reinforced international collaboration in support of implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.