- The five Rio Convention Presidencies—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—joined together to urge faster, more coordinated action across climate, biodiversity and land workstreams.
- Leaders unveiled the Belém Joint Statement, the inaugural shared declaration from the Action Agenda community, signalling a strengthened era of joint implementation across the Rio Conventions.
- Youth leaders, Indigenous groups, researchers, municipalities and government representatives called for science-informed, rights-based and community-driven approaches to secure lasting progress.
During the high-level discussion titled Bridging Action Agendas from COP16 to COP30: Strengthening Synergies Across Land, Climate, and Nature, representatives of the UNCCD COP16 and UNFCCC COP30 Presidencies brought together stakeholders from governments, scientific bodies, civil society, youth, cities, Indigenous Peoples and international organisations. At the event, the Presidencies of all five Rio Conventions—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—issued a unified appeal for enhanced cooperation, building on existing momentum created by the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Riyadh Action Agenda, and the outcomes of CBD COP16 in Cali.
Speakers highlighted that the world’s environmental challenges are intrinsically linked, noting that land degradation, biodiversity decline and climate change require integrated solutions and coordinated delivery across the mechanisms and initiatives underpinning the Rio Conventions’ mandates.
A key milestone of the meeting was the unveiling of the Belém Joint Statement on Action Agendas, marking the first shared declaration from the Action Agenda community. The statement strengthens collective ambitions to rehabilitate degraded lands, safeguard ecosystems, boost climate and drought resilience, and advance sustainable livelihoods. These goals will be delivered through synergy-focused tools such as the Synergies Collaboration Platform (SCP) and the Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), alongside initiatives including the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, Business for Land and RAIZ.
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, H.E. Dr. Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, said: “Synergies across the Rio Conventions are essential. Land degradation continues to rise at alarming levels, cutting across both biodiversity and climate agendas. After new negotiations, the world must now translate ambition into aligned, on-the-ground action. When land, climate and nature efforts move together, ecosystems recover faster and communities become more resilient.”
The CBD COP16 Presidency emphasised that harmonising Action Agendas across Conventions enhances delivery of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. In parallel, the COP30 Presidency acknowledged the growing momentum in the lead-up to the Amazon COP, stressing that coordinated implementation will be vital for meeting COP30 commitments and long-term environmental goals.
Youth advocates, researchers and municipal leaders pointed to the importance of technological innovation, inclusive collaboration and solutions rooted in local contexts. Indigenous speakers reiterated that traditional knowledge and rights-based approaches must remain central to all implementation efforts.
The session concluded with broad agreement that synergy-driven implementation—supported by Action Agenda mechanisms, platforms connecting the Conventions and active participation across society—will be pivotal in accelerating progress toward the 2030 agenda.
The UNCCD COP16 Presidency reaffirmed its intention to continue championing stronger cooperation across land, climate and nature agendas as preparations advance for the first Global Stocktake on Land, to be presented at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar next year.