In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992, the Earth Summit gave birth to the three Rio conventions, addressing biodiversity, land and climate issues (CBD[1], UNCCD[2], UNFCCC[3]). More than 25 years later, the legacy of these international agreements still drives action for a more sustainable world.
Rio conventions have been guiding and inspiring many change makers from public and private organizations in developing and promoting relevant technical, institutional and financing solutions for sustainable development on all continents.
For example states have taken more and more responsibilities, including through adequate response planning such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP), National Action Plans to Combat Desertification, etc And ambitious financing mechanisms have emerged such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Adaptation Fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, among others.
While international negotiations brought lots of successes, for example the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC, the Nagoya Protocol under the CBD, or the Land Degradation Neutrality objective under the UNCCD, still a lot remains to be done in terms of implementation. The last report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is reminding us the urgency for action.
Seeking efficiency and impacts in a resources constrained reality calls for more synergies between Rio conventions. Thus Rio Impact addresses the needs for the development and implementation of operations for biodiversity, climate and land benefits at once. It will build on the very positive momentum of some international initiatives such as global and regional commitments for forest and landscape restoration (Bonn Challenge, AFR100, Initiative 20×20, Agadir Restoration Commitment, etc), and the recent announcement for a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 which represent unique opportunities for unleashing biodiversity, land and climate benefits while supporting an inclusive green economy.
[1] Convention on Biological Diversity
[2] United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
[3] United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
