At a landmark high-level gathering titled “Bridging Action Agendas from COP16 to COP30: Strengthening Synergies Across Land, Climate, and Nature,” the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, in partnership with the UNFCCC COP30 Presidency, brought together leaders from governments, science, youth groups, cities, Indigenous Peoples, civil society and international organisations.
The event underscored a historic alignment across the five Rio Convention Presidencies—
UNFCCC COP30, CBD COP16, CBD COP17, UNCCD COP16 and UNCCD COP17—
who jointly issued an urgent call for deeper cooperation across global climate, biodiversity and land agendas.
Belém Joint Statement: A First-of-its-Kind Unified Action Agenda
A key outcome was the unveiling of the Belém Joint Statement, the first coordinated Action Agenda declaration ever produced by the Rio Conventions community.
The statement marks a new era of synergy-driven implementation aimed at:
Restoring degraded landscapes
Protecting vital ecosystems
Strengthening drought and climate resilience
Supporting sustainable, climate-resilient livelihoods
These ambitions will be advanced through tools such as the Synergies Collaboration Platform (SCP) and the Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), as well as joint initiatives including the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, Business for Land, and RAIZ.
“Synergies Are Essential”: Saudi Arabia Emphasises Integrated Action
Speaking at the session, H.E. Dr. Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, stressed that the world can no longer treat land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change as isolated issues.
H.E. added: “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.”
Strengthening the Kunming–Montreal Framework and Momentum Toward COP30
The CBD COP16 Presidency highlighted how aligning Action Agendas reinforces the delivery of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Meanwhile, the COP30 Presidency welcomed the strengthened cooperation ahead of the Amazon COP, stressing that synergy-led implementation will be essential for meeting COP30 goals.
Whole-of-Society Voices Demand Rights-Based, Science-Driven Solutions
Youth activists, city leaders, scientific institutions and community organisations called for:
Innovation and technology-based interventions
Locally grounded and inclusive partnerships
Recognition of Indigenous rights and traditional knowledge
Indigenous representatives reiterated that rights-based approaches must remain central to every implementation effort.
A Unified Pathway Toward 2030
The session concluded with collective agreement that synergy-driven implementation—powered by coordinated Action Agendas and cross-Convention platforms—will be vital for accelerating global progress on climate, land and biodiversity targets before 2030.
The UNCCD COP16 Presidency reaffirmed its commitment to champion integrated approaches as preparations advance for the first Global Stocktake on Land, to be delivered at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar next year.
Read More: Countries Take Practical Climate Action — But COP30 Must Turn Progress into Acceleration