Last week, the ELD Initiative hosted a two-day expert workshop in Bonn dedicated to advancing cooperation across the three Rio Conventions. The meeting brought together leading specialists to develop a unified analytical framework for assessing and operationalising Rio synergies in the context of land use and sustainable development.
The workshop focused on integrating the ELD Methodological Guidelines for Rio Synergies with the Integrated Land Use Planning (ILUP) approach developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The framework is designed to align with the objectives and reporting structures of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The resulting analytical framework will be piloted in Mongolia, with the objective of scaling the approach to additional countries. A central component of the initiative is the implementation of national-level assessments and structured stakeholder engagement processes. These are intended to support participating countries in identifying, evaluating, and implementing concrete actions that generate synergies across the Rio Conventions.
The workshop benefited from the expertise and active contributions of representatives from international research institutions, multilateral environmental agreements, and development cooperation agencies. Project leadership was provided by International Rice Research Institute, with participation from the secretariats and representatives of the Rio Conventions, the Food and Agriculture Organization, Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
The outcomes of the workshop will contribute to discussions and decision-making processes in the upcoming triple-COP year. Further information on the ELD Initiative’s work on Rio Synergies is available on our website.