UNCCD COP16 Presidency Highlights Strengthened Synergies on Land, Climate and Nature at COP30 High-Level Event

• The five Rio Convention Presidencies—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—issued a joint call to accelerate cooperation across the Action Agendas for climate, biodiversity and land.
• Leaders presented the first-ever joint Action Agenda statement, the Belém Joint Statement, marking a new phase of synergy-driven implementation across the Rio Conventions.
• Youth, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, cities and governments highlighted the need for rights-based, community-led and science-informed action to deliver real-world impact.

Belém, Brazil, 21 November 2025: At the high-level event Bridging Action Agendas from COP16 to COP30: Strengthening Synergies Across Land, Climate, and Nature, the UNCCD COP16 Presidency and UNFCCC COP30 Presidency convened leaders from government, international organisations, science, youth, cities, Indigenous Peoples and civil society. The five Presidencies of the Rio Conventions, including the UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17, issued a joint call for deeper cooperation, building on the momentum of the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Riyadh Action Agenda, and the initiatives launched at CBD COP16 in Cali.

The Presidencies emphasised that land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change are interconnected challenges that demand integrated responses, delivered through aligned action across the global initiatives and platforms driving the Rio Conventions’ implementation.

A central outcome of the session was the presentation of the Belém Joint Statement on Action Agendas, the first of its kind from the Action Agenda community. The statement reinforces shared efforts to restore degraded landscapes, protect ecosystems, strengthen drought and climate resilience, and support sustainable livelihoods through synergy-driven implementation 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 highlighted how aligning Action Agendas across the Conventions enhances the impact of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, while the COP30 Presidency welcomed the strengthened momentum ahead of the Amazon COP, noting that synergy-driven implementation will be critical to delivering the goals of COP30 and beyond.

Youth representatives, scientific institutions and city leaders stressed the importance of innovation, inclusive partnerships and locally grounded solutions. Indigenous representatives reaffirmed that rights-based approaches and traditional knowledge must remain at the heart of implementation efforts.

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

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