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PACE at CBD COP17.

Principles for deploying AI in environmental decision-making. A panel at the Armenian Pavilion · Yerevan · 27 October 2026, and a dinner two days later. The principles came out of our workshop at ETH Zurich in July.

Speakers and hosts on stage at the Armenian Pavilion after the AI4COP panel, in front of the partners' logos
Armenian Pavilion · CBD COP17 · 27 October 2026

From Zurich to Yerevan

At our workshop at ETH Zurich in July, working groups turned the tensions in governing AI for nature into draft principles. They became PACE. In October we took them to the UN Biodiversity Conference, CBD COP17, in Yerevan, with AI4COP, the Youth Negotiators Academy and GainForest.

The panel · 27 October

AI4COP: Sovereignty-Aligned AI for Biodiversity Diplomacy ran at the Armenian National Pavilion in the Blue Zone, co-hosted with Armenia's Ministry of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence. H.E. Dr. Gevorg Mantashyan, the Deputy Minister, opened it. Veena Balakrishnan (Youth Negotiators Academy) moderated a panel with him, Prof. Millie Chapman (ETH Zurich), Marie-Claire Graf (Youth Negotiators Academy), Davit Arakelyan (Eleveight AI), Karen Aghababyan (BirdLinks Armenia) and Dr. David Dao (GainForest), in front of a full room.

We closed the session by launching PACE for public comment.

The principles

  1. 01 · Participation

    People take part in the decisions that shape their places.

  2. 02 · Accountability

    Every consequential decision needs someone accountable for it.

  3. 03 · Consent

    People and communities keep a standing right to say no.

  4. 04 · Equity

    The benefits and burdens of a decision are shared fairly.

The dinner · 29 October

Two days later the conversation moved to one long table. The dinner was oversubscribed: negotiators, government officials, researchers and AI developers. The Deputy Minister and Erik Grigoryan, former Minister of Environment of Armenia, spoke, and the table picked up PACE where the panel left off.

PACE is open for comment. Vote on each principle and add what is missing:

ai4cop.org/paceBoth events on ai4cop.org

Supported by Protocol Labs and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The panel · 27 October

Photographs: Hakob Simonyan · Scroll →
The panel seated on stage at the Armenian Pavilion, under a screen showing the speakers and the title Principles for Deploying AI in Environmental Decision-Making
The panel · Armenian Pavilion
H.E. Dr. Gevorg Mantashyan, Armenia's Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry and Artificial Intelligence, gives the opening address
Opening address · H.E. Dr. Gevorg Mantashyan
Veena Balakrishnan of the Youth Negotiators Academy moderates from the lectern
Moderator · Veena Balakrishnan
David Dao of GainForest speaks during the panel discussion
David Dao · GainForest
The panel in discussion, seen from the side of the stage
In discussion
A panellist answers a question
Questions from the room
A full room at the Armenian Pavilion, seen from the stage
A full room
Speakers and hosts on stage after the session, in front of the partners' logos
Speakers and hosts

The dinner · 29 October

Scroll →
Guests around the long table at the dinner in Yerevan
One long table
Deputy Minister Gevorg Mantashyan addresses the table
H.E. Dr. Gevorg Mantashyan
David Dao takes the table through PACE on the screen, with PACE booklets among the dishes
PACE on the table
A guest stands to speak to the table
Open discussion
Hosts and guests hold up PACE booklets in front of the dinner's roll-up banner
PACE booklets