Official UN decisions and documents
Official decisions and documents from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) - the three Rio Conventions.
Featured resource
2025
Global
UNFCCC COP30 Presidency, CBD COP16 & COP17 Presidencies, UNCCD COP16 & COP17 Presidencies
Belem Joint Statement on the Rio Conventions
For the first time, the five current and future Presidencies of the three Rio Conventions (Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Armenia and Mongolia) released a joint declaration committing to collaborate in mobilizing non-state actors to promote synergistic action that delivers for climate, biodiversity, land, and people. This symbolic moment celebrates the legacy of Brazil as the birthplace over 30 years ago of the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation. The presidencies shared the vision of stronger coherence and alignment among the actions mobilized through the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Riyadh Action Agenda, and the initiatives launched at CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia.
2025
Global
Synergies Collaboration Platform
Plan to Accelerate Solution (PAS): Synergistic implementation across the Rio Conventions
The scope of this PAS is grounded in the principle of synergistic implementation across the three Rio Conventions: the UNFCCC, CBD, and UNCCD. These global frameworks share interrelated goals related to climate stability, biodiversity conservation, and land restoration – grounded upon a shared commitment to deliver sustainable development within the means of the planet’s capacity to provide for current and future generations. By fostering integrated approaches, this PAS supports countries in aligning national strategies, streamlining reporting, and maximizing the impact of their environmental commitments.
2025
Global
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands resolution XV.4
Convention on Wetlands Resolution XV.4 recognises the relevance of wetlands to achieving multiple global goals and supports collaboration with other multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs), UN bodies and other international organisations to improve synergies, share resources, avoid duplication, and enhance implementation.
2019
Global
UNEP
Bern Process
An informal Party-led process established in 2019 and recognized through several resolutions and decisions by multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) governing bodies, organized by UNEP in close collaboration with the Secretariat of the CBD, the Government of Switzerland, and other partners. It aims to strengthen cooperation and synergies among the Parties, the MEA Secretariats (16 MEAs, including the Rio Conventions, the biodiversity-related conventions and the chemicals and waste conventions), and relevant stakeholders, to support the effective implementation of the KMGBF.
2024
Global
UNEA
UNEA Resolutions on Synergies for National Implementation
UNEA-6 resolutions 6/4 and 6/6 support synergetic national implementation and compilation of good practices, tools, success stories and lessons learned highlighting cooperation and collaboration in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) implementation. UNEP has advanced implementation of the resolutions by compiling case studies, providing country level capacity building, and promoting collaboration for synergetic reporting. UNEA-7 will address MEA cooperation through an agenda item and an “MEAs Day”.
Global
11 submissions by 38 parties + 60 from hundreds of observers
Submission of views and information on biodiversity and climate change under the CBD (following decision 16/22)
In its decision 16/22 on biodiversity and climate change, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) requested Parties, observers and other stakeholders to submit their views on options for enhanced policy coherence, including a potential joint work programme of the Rio Conventions.
2019
Global
IPCC
Special Report on Climate Change and Land: Summary for Policymakers
This summary distills the findings of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, addressing how land systems contribute to climate change and how climate change affects land systems. It covers topics such as desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.
2021
Global
IPBES and IPCC
IPBES-IPCC Co-Sponsored Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change
This report summarizes the outcomes of the first-ever joint workshop between the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), focusing on the synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
2010
Global
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
(SBSTTA) Proposed Elements for a Joint Work Programme Between the Three Rio Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Land Degradation
This document proposes elements for a joint work programme to enhance collaboration between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It emphasizes coordinated national planning, addressing common drivers of environmental degradation, and promoting enabling activities to achieve the objectives of the three conventions.