UNCCD COP16 Presidency highlights strengthened synergies on land, climate and nature at COP30 high-level event

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UNCCD COP16 Presidency highlights strengthened synergies on land, climate and nature at COP30 high-level event

The UNCCD COP16 Presidency, together with the UNFCCC COP30 Presidency, convened global leaders at a high-level event titled Bridging Action Agendas from COP16 to COP30: Strengthening Synergies Across Land, Climate, and Nature. The gathering brought together representatives from governments, scientific institutions, youth groups, cities, Indigenous Peoples and civil society to emphasise the importance of coordinated implementation across the Rio Conventions.

In a significant milestone, the five Rio Convention Presidencies—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—issued a unified call to accelerate cooperation across their respective Action Agendas. Leaders also presented the Belém Joint Statement on Action Agendas, marking the first-ever joint declaration from the Action Agenda community and signalling a new era of synergy-focused collaboration.

The Presidencies underscored that land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change are deeply interconnected challenges requiring integrated solutions. They stressed that aligning global initiatives—such as the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Riyadh Action Agenda, and outcomes from CBD COP16 in Cali—is essential to achieving meaningful results.

The Belém Joint Statement reinforced collective efforts to restore degraded landscapes, protect ecosystems, enhance drought and climate resilience and support sustainable livelihoods. It highlighted tools such as the Synergies Collaboration Platform (SCP) and Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), as well as major 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, stressed the urgency of unified action.
“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,” he said.

The CBD COP16 Presidency highlighted that coordinated Action Agendas will amplify the impact of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The COP30 Presidency noted that enhanced synergy-building is crucial ahead of the Amazon COP, where collaboration will be central to meeting long-term climate and biodiversity goals.

Youth representatives, scientific bodies, Indigenous leaders and city officials emphasised innovation, local partnerships and rights-based approaches. Indigenous speakers reiterated that traditional knowledge and community leadership must remain core components of global implementation strategies.

The event concluded with consensus that synergy-driven implementation—supported by cross-Convention platforms, Action Agenda initiatives and whole-of-society engagement—will be vital to accelerating progress toward 2030 targets.

The UNCCD COP16 Presidency reaffirmed its commitment to advancing cooperation across land, climate and nature agendas, as preparations continue for the first Global Stocktake on Land, to be presented at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar next year.