Aerial view of a river through autumn forest
A fire salamander on moss
Aerial view of a glacier meeting a lake

Why Rio Synergies

Three Conventions, one interconnected agenda

The three Rio Conventions emerged from the 1992 Earth Summit and address different dimensions of a closely connected planetary system.

Healthy ecosystems, sustainable land management and climate action reinforce one another, supporting resilience, food security and livelihoods.

Over three decades, countries and partners have developed a rich ecosystem of cooperation across the Rio Conventions.

The opportunity now is to build on this foundation and to turn it into integrated implementation at national, subnational and local levels.

Three overlapping circles representing climate, biodiversity and land
Tap a circle to exploreClimate UNFCCCUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeBiodiversity CBDConvention on Biological DiversityLand and drought UNCCDUnited Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

From Belém to Antalya

A new political momentum for implementation

The Belém Joint Statement on the Rio Conventions marked an important political milestone. It reaffirmed a shared commitment to strengthening synergies among the Rio Conventions and recognized the 2026 Triple COP Year as a unique opportunity to move from political ambition towards integrated implementation.

The Triple COP Year creates a natural journey across the three Conventions

  1. UNCCD COP17 Ulaanbaatar 2026UlaanbaatarUNCCD COP17Land the common ground
  2. CBD COP17 Yerevan ArmeniaYerevanCBD COP17Nature the integrator
  3. COP31 Türkiye AntalyaAntalyaUNFCCC COP31Climate the accelerator

The 2026 Triple COP Year provides a unique pathway for carrying forward political momentum and practical experience on Rio Convention synergies—from UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, through CBD COP17 in Yerevan, and towards UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya, where the Group for Action is envisaged to be formally launched.

A parallel technical dialogue series began in Ulaanbaatar, with land as the common ground, continues in Yerevan with nature as the integrator, and will culminate in Antalya with climate as the accelerator. The technical dialogue series will generate practical insights that can inform country-led actions and help connect national priorities with implementation support.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions

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  • Foundations

    The Rio Conventions are the three international environmental agreements associated with the 1992 Earth Summit: the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

  • Foundations

  • The Group

  • The Group

  • Governance

  • Governance

  • Participation

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  • Partners

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