COP17 Report 29 October 2026 – Yerevan, Armenia

We are pleased to report that the Convention text on Sustainable Wildlife Management has retained the reference to hunting.

The relevant section of the adopted text reads as follows:

The full text applicable read as follow:
11.⁠ ⁠The voluntary guidance sets out general principles, safeguards and broad areas for action that Parties may refer to when strengthening national approaches to sustainable wildlife management, including legal and regulated practices such as ecologically sustainable hunting, if applicable under national legislation, fishing and harvesting of non-timber forest products that contribute to rural livelihoods and food security while maintaining positive biodiversity outcomes.

This outcome follows seven days of intensive negotiations to ensure that the text remained intact and that hunting continued to be recognised within the agreed framework.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the many stakeholders and Parties that supported the retention of this text throughout the negotiations. Particular recognition is due to Zimbabwe and the Russian Federation, whose consistent and strong support played an important role