The interlinked crises of biodiversity loss and climate change require urgent, coordinated, and rights-based policy responses. The recent Technical Information Exchange and Parties’ submissions, which was grounded on CBD COP Decision 16/22, paragraph 19, highlight the need to center actors’ lived experiences, such as governments’, UN entities’, civil society organisations’, rights-holders’, including Indigenous Peoples;, as well as local communities’, in building practical, just, and scalable approaches to policy coherence across the Rio Conventions. Building on these, the side event seeks to elevate multi-actor experiences and views that make enhanced policy coherence just, equitable, participatory, and practically achievable.

The side event aims to contribute to the CBD SBSTTA-27, especially on agenda item 5 on biodiversity and climate change, through:

1. Sharing practical experiences and lessons learned of enhancing policy coherence, including through aligning NBSAPs, NDCs, NAPs, and LDN targets from diverse actor perspectives, showing what works. This includes recognising the enabling conditions needed to support just and equitable policy coherence. 

2. Highlighting pathways for just and equitable policy coherence, including participatory governance, leadership of Indigenous Peoples, and of local communities, as well as a whole-of-society approach.

This side event will convene a diversity of actors to share their actionable insights and innovations in aligning biodiversity, climate, and land governance, while ensuring rights-based and equitable outcomes. It seeks to build a shared understanding of inclusive approaches to enhanced policy coherence across the three Rio Conventions, while providing evidence that grounds such efforts in a human rights-based approach (HRBA) also supports sustainable outcomes towards achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Paris Agreement, and Land Degradation Neutrality. 

Format and structure: Interactive Panel 

• Welcome and framing (10 min)

• Short panel with 4–5 speakers (40 min), including:

  • Government Party representative (e.g. Brazil, Sweden, Colombia, Panama)

  • UN body (e.g. OHCHR)

  • Rights holders: Indigenous Peoples’ representative, and/or local communities’ representative, GYBN, Women’s caucus

  • Civil society representatives

  • Research institution (e.g. IPBES)

• Facilitated dialogue with audience (30 min)

• Closing reflections and recommendations (10 min) (e.g. SCBD)

Expected Outcomes

• Key reflections on what makes enhanced policy coherence just and equitable in practice

Insights on how to design enhanced policy coherence mechanisms rooted in rights