Aligning the Rio Conventions

The imperative to tackle the nature and climate crises in tandem, long emphasised by science, has yet to be well recognised across the Conventions. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has taken significant steps with a dedicated negotiation strand and, from COP16, a new pathway towards enhancing policy coherence between the Rio Conventions. 

The UN Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 also placed a significant focus on synergies and trade-offs between the three Rio Conventions, with a decision focused on strengthening synergies between Conventions at a national level. 

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted language in its Global Stocktake (GST) that underlined the importance of conserving ecosystems, halting and reversing deforestation, and aligning with the CBD’s Global Biodiversity Framework. However, it lags far behind with a lack of recognition of the fundamental role played by biodiversity and ecosystems in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Existing UNFCCC rules, definitions, and accounting approaches tend to undermine rather than support ecosystem integrity, and there is a lack of expertise within the process to address these challenges.

Better integration across the Conventions is needed to prevent silos and to maximise synergies and opportunities.