- The Presidencies of the five Rio Conventions—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—collectively urged stronger, faster alignment across global climate, biodiversity and land agendas.
- Leaders unveiled the Belém Joint Statement, the first coordinated Action Agenda declaration, signalling a new era of integrated delivery under the Rio Conventions.
- Youth voices, Indigenous communities, scientists, city representatives and governments underscored the importance of rights-based, inclusive and evidence-driven solutions.
Belém, Brazil, 21 November 2025: At the high-level dialogue Bridging Action Agendas from COP16 to COP30: Strengthening Synergies Across Land, Climate, and Nature, the UNCCD COP16 and UNFCCC COP30 Presidencies brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from government institutions, scientific bodies, youth networks, civil society, Indigenous Peoples and international organisations. The event saw all five Rio Convention Presidencies—UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—call jointly for deeper cooperation, building on progress achieved through the Global Climate Action Agenda, the Riyadh Action Agenda and initiatives launched at CBD COP16 in Cali.
Discussions highlighted that land degradation, biodiversity decline and climate impacts are interrelated crises requiring coordinated solutions. Speakers stressed that aligning the work of global initiatives and platforms across the Conventions is essential to delivering more robust and coherent outcomes.
A major development during the session was the launch of the Belém Joint Statement on Action Agendas, the first shared declaration to emerge from the Action Agenda community. This new statement reinforces collective ambitions to restore degraded lands, protect natural systems, strengthen resilience to drought and climate shocks, and support sustainable livelihoods. These goals will be advanced through synergy-focused tools such as the Synergies Collaboration Platform (SCP), the Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) and partnerships 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 coordination across the Action Agendas strengthens delivery of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Meanwhile, the COP30 Presidency welcomed the growing momentum ahead of the Amazon COP, stressing that integrated implementation will be central to advancing COP30 objectives and future environmental commitments.
Youth organisations, scientific institutions and city leaders highlighted the importance of innovation, inclusive governance and solutions grounded in local knowledge. Indigenous representatives reiterated that implementation must continue to uphold rights, cultural heritage and traditional expertise.
The event closed with shared recognition that synergy-led implementation—enabled by Action Agenda initiatives, mechanisms linking the Conventions and broad societal engagement—will be crucial to advancing global progress as 2030 approaches.
The UNCCD COP16 Presidency reaffirmed its dedication to strengthening collaboration across land, climate and nature agendas, as preparations advance for the first Global Stocktake on Land, to be delivered at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar next year.
