Türkiye-led Rio Synergies Group for Action Gains Momentum in Yerevan
The Rio Synergies High-Level Dialogue to launch the Rio Synergies Group for Action will take place on 17 November 2026 at the Climate Change COP31 in Antalya Türkiye.
The Rio Synergies Group for Action is expected to strengthen implementation of the three Conventions at the country-level and make it possible for the Group members to share knowledge and lessons learned at the global level.
Türkiye UNFCCC COP31 Presidency, Armenia CBD COP17 Presidency and Mongolia UNCCD COP17 Presidency are convening the Rio Synergies High Level Dialogue with the support of UNCCD’s G20 Global Land Initiative and the Joint Liaison Group.
Momentum towards the official launch of the Rio Synergies Group for Action at COP31 picked up at the just concluded 17th session of Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) held in Yerevan, Armenia.
Climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation cannot be addressed in isolation.
This was the key message from the High-Level Dialogue on “Enhancing Policy Coherence and Cooperation to Support the Implementation of the Rio Conventions,” which took place in the margins of CBD COP17.
Discussions in Yerevan underlined the importance of aligning national climate, biodiversity and land strategies, strengthening coordinated financing and technical support, reducing reporting burdens and advancing a meaningful whole-of-society approach.
Importantly, Rio synergies should mobilize greater investment across all three agendas, while respecting the distinct mandates of the three Conventions, delegates stressed.
The dialogue was organized by the COP Presidencies of the Biodiversity (Armenia), Climate Change (Türkiye) and Desertification (Mongolia) Conventions, with the support of the Joint Liaison Group and the G20 Global Land Initiative at the UNCCD.
It brought together representatives of Parties, Indigenous Peoples, youth, international organizations and the Secretariats of these three sister Rio Conventions.
The High-Level dialogue in Yerevan was preceded by a technical dialogue and an interactive workshop on Rio Synergies earlier in the week, advancing the discussion on practical implementation of Rio Synergies started in Ulaanbaatar at UNCCD COP17. Türkiye organized the dialogues with support from the UNCCD’s G20 Global Land Initiative, the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) and the ENACT Partnership.
The dialogue in Yerevan built on the first High-Level Dialogue held in August at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Türkiye and Australia, the incoming COP31 Presidency of negotiations, are both G20 member countries.
UNCCD’s G20 Global Land Initiative is supporting Türkiye in advancing this Presidency-led process from Ulaanbaatar through Yerevan to Antalya — and beyond.
