Rio Conventions Pavilion at UNCCD COP 15

Addressing the interlinked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation is critical to ensure a sustainable future for people and the planet. The Rio Conventions Pavilion, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), sought to contribute to this effort through a series of events which aimed to increase ambition to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, restore and maintain healthy landscapes, and establish a post-2020 global biodiversity framework to halt biodiversity loss.

The Rio Conventions Pavilion at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 15) featured thematic days, with a range of events, panel discussions, and speakers  focused on the theme of the day.

• High-level Opening of the Pavilion brought together the Presidencies and Executive Secretaries of the three Rio Conventions to explore synergies in efforts to combat land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss (10 May).
• Drought Day addressed ways to transform political commitments to action on drought resilience and showcase effective drought response policies and projects (11 May).
• Food Day discussed current global challenges and their relationship to the food system, particularly the way that land is used and managed to produce food (12 May).
• Land for Life Day underscored the effectiveness of sustainable land management in addressing poverty, food insecurity, water scarcity, climate change, and human security, among others. Taking place in two parts, the morning session led by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), included a discussion on land degradation neutrality (LDN), experiences by various stakeholders, and a presentation on LDN in the context of the eighth replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund (GEF-8). The afternoon programme showcased the Land for Life Programme, including the Land for Life Award (13 May).
• Science Day convened under the theme “Science for Action: Land Restoration and Drought” (14 May).
• Sand and Dust Storms Day helped raise awareness about the issue, by providing an opportunity for knowledge sharing and capacity development among stakeholders and partners involved in SDS-related issues (16 May).
• Land Restoration Day focused on the need to transform land governance and restore land-based natural capital to create jobs, reduce emissions, and restore harmony with nature (17 May).
• Great Green Wall Day focused on this African-led movement that aims to, by 2030, restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million jobs in rural areas (18 May).

The Rio Conventions Pavilion is a collaborative platform that promotes synergies among the Rio Conventions— the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UNCCD, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—at the implementation level and showcases activities that link biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, sustainable land management and efforts to combat desertification, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This edition of the Rio Conventions Pavilion ran from 10-18 May on the sidelines of UNCCD COP 15, which met from 9-20 May in Abidjan, Cote Côte d’Ivoire.