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On 26 October, the National ESG Alliance, together with Polyus, will host a side event at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
The discussion will focus on how businesses can assess their impacts on nature and measure the outcomes of biodiversity conservation projects, as well as whether approaches adopted by different countries can be compared and aligned. Representatives of BRICS countries will take part in the discussion, providing an opportunity to examine the Russian approach alongside national practices across the group.
Ruslan Edelgeriev, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and Water Resources, will deliver the opening remarks.
At COP17, countries will undertake their first collective review of progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Target 15 of the Framework calls for measures to enable large companies to assess and disclose their biodiversity-related risks, dependencies and impacts.
The need for practical tools to support these efforts is highlighted by an assessment published in 2026 by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). According to the assessment, fewer than 1% of reporting companies mention their impacts on biodiversity in their disclosures.
During the session, the National ESG Alliance will present its classification framework for corporate projects relating to biodiversity and ecosystem services, alongside a methodology for risk assessment. The framework covers nine categories of projects and is designed to ensure a scientifically substantiated positive contribution while avoiding significant harm to nature, other components of the environment and society.
The Alliance first introduced Russia’s pioneering classification framework for corporate biodiversity projects in November 2025. According to the organisation, ten companies had piloted the framework by June 2026.
The Russian approach will now be brought to the international stage for discussion. Business representatives will share their experience of applying the tools in practice, while participants will explore which elements of the framework could be aligned with approaches used in BRICS and other countries, and what steps would be needed to advance further cooperation.
The session, “One Taxonomy, Global Partnership”, will take place on 26 October, from 13:15 to 14:30 local time, in the Lastiver Room, COP17 Blue Zone.
The working language will be English.
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpGpafbZpnbBJ8zitXKNUxr2MFQDUPN_2BNLJo3Ls-SXkKqw/viewform
