Taking Forward Negotiations on Cooperation with Other International Organizations Under the UNFCCC Discussion Paper

Negotiations on cooperation with other international organizations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 31^st Conference of Parties (COP31) in November come at a time of growing recognition that climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are deeply interconnected and cannot be addressed effectively through fragmented international processes. There is a need for a more coherent and coordinated approaches to implementation across the Rio Conventions—the UNFCCC, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN Convention to Combat Desertificiation (UNCCD)—and other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs).

2026 presents a political opportunity to move the debate forward. This “triple COP” year for the three Rio Conventions coincides with wider efforts to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advance consideration of what a post-2030 development framework could look like—including through the UN Expert Group on Climate-SDG Synergies.¹ It also overlaps with ongoing discussions under the UN’s system-wide reform plan (the UN80 Initiative). Specifically, it connects to UN80’s “Work Package 27” (WP27) on environment.² Together, these processes need to effectively respond to calls for stronger international cooperation and more integrated implementation approaches.

While support for a synergistic approach to climate action is growing, institutional fragmentation remains a significant challenge and initial findings under WP27 have identified the Rio Conventions as a particular opportunity for improved coherence. Countries continue to navigate overlapping reporting requirements, separate workstreams, and parallel implementation processes across conventions that often pursue related objectives. For many developing countries and smaller delegations, these duplications create administrative burdens that strain already limited technical and financial capacities.

There is already a basis for stronger cooperation between the UNFCCC and other MEAs. Given the wider context of reforms under UN80 and widespread budget cuts, there may value in further enhancing policy coherence and cooperation across convesions. Parties could push for further cooperation while still respecting the distinct legal mandates, governance arrangements, and decision-making aurthority of each Convention, and while fitting within existing resources If there is political will, the discussions at COP31 could provide an opportunity to move beyond general calls for enhanced coordination toward more practical cooperation, such as reducing reporting burdens for countries across Conventions and strengthening existing cooperative activities through the Joint Liaison Group of Rio Convention Secretariats (JLG) and across UNFCCC workstreams.

What practical opportunities exist to strengthen cooperation and reduce fragmentation across the Rio Conventions and related international organizations?
What issues should be prioritized in UNFCCC negotiations regarding cooperation and interaction with other organizations in 2026?
What would be the ideal outcomes on cooperation with international organizations at COP31?

Strengthening international cooperation on climate across international organizations is vital to accelerating collective progress and ensuring the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s goals.
The basis for stronger cooperation with other international organizations already exists under the UNFCCC:
- Article 7 paragraph 2(l) of the Convention specifies that the COP “shall seek and utilize the services and cooperation of, and information provided by, competent international organizations and intergovernmental and non-governmental bodies.”
  - The JLG, which commenced informally in August 2001, was welcomed in decisions by each of the three Rio Conventions including the UNFCCC. Under the UNFCCC, the SBSTA first endorsed the JLG in September 2001 and later formally recognized it in COP8 (2003) decision 13, which:
    - affirms that there is a need for enhanced cooperation between UNFCCC, the CBD, and the UNCCD, with the aim of ensuring the environmental integrity of the conventions and promoting synergies under the common objective of sustainable development, in order to avoid duplication of efforts, strengthen joint efforts, and use available resources more efficiently
    - requests the SBSTA to continue and enhance cooperation with the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the CBD and the Committee on Science and Technology of the UNCCD
    - supports the mandate of the Joint Liaison Group, established by the 2001 SBSTA conclusions that first endorsed the JLG
    - urges the JLG to continue its efforts to enhance coordination between the three conventions and their secretariats in accordance with its mandate.
  - Activities under the JLG and additional coordination efforts between the UNFCCC Secretariat and other internation organizations are further supported by Article 8.2(e) of the Convention, which stipulates that the function of the Secretariat shall be to “ensure the necessary coordination with the secretariats of other relevant international bodies.”
  - The GST encourages Parties and non-Party stakeholders (NPS) to enhance cooperation on the implementation of MEAs, “particularly their work under the Rio Conventions,” in order to support the goals of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs in a “synergistic and efficient manner.”¹
  - The COP30 Mutirão decision emphasized the urgent need to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and land and ocean degradation in the broader context of achieving sustainable development in a “comprehensive and synergistic manner,” reinforcing growing recognition that implementation challenges are increasingly interconnected.²
  - Workstreams across the UNFCCC have recognized the importance of synergies with other international organizations. For example, a decision under the United Arab Emirates just transition work programme recognized the benefit of “building on relevant work on designing and implementing just transition pathways under and outside the Convention and the Paris Agreement in the context of the work programme.”³
Intermittant work on cooperation with other international organizations has struggled to move beyond adoption of conclusions that welcome the mandated Secretariat report on the previous year’s cooperative activities.⁴
In advance of each session in which the agenda item on cooperation with other international organizations is taken up, the UNFCCC Secretariat publishes an information note summarizing relevant cooperative activities,⁵ in line with its mandate to do so from 2009.⁶ The notes outline cooperative activities that have been taken up across UNFCCC workstreams, by the JLG of the Rio Convention Secretariats, and with the United Nations Secretariat and other UN entities.⁷
Between 2019 and 2023, Parties noted or welcomed the Secretariat report of cooperative activities with other international organizations and encouraged the Chair to continue to provide opportunities for Parties to exchange views on the matter.
Some Parties began to express interest in moving beyond recognition of summary reports under this agenda item to driving further progress on cooperation with other international organizations.
In negotiations and Presidency-led consultations on cooperation with other international organizations in 2025, Party views diverged on whether and how to move forward in strengthening cooperative activities, including in relation to:
- the frequency and expectations of discussions under the agenda item on cooperation with international organizations, with some Parties pushing for a decision that establishes cooperation with other international organizations as a standing agenda item to convene at every session of the SBSTA
- potential improvement the modalities of work under the agenda item to better support substantive and practical outcomes
- potential ways strengthen the JLG, with Parties lacking a common understanding of where the JLG’s mandate stems from and what could practically be achieved through negotiations under the UNFCCC SBSTA.
These discussions continued at SB64 (June 2026), where Parties were mandated to consider the matter, taking into account submissions on views on enhancing the inclusiveness of cooperation with other international organizations as well as on the cooperation with other Rio Conventions secretariats.⁸
Parties at SB64 initially diverged on the mandate for discussion—while some Parties pushed for stronger negotiated outcomes, other raised that the mandate to consider the matter does not necessitate further action.
Parties posed a range of ideas, including: calls for information exchange among secretariats and among Parties; ways to strengthen the JLG, subject to the availability of resources; and the possibility of undertaking technical work to build capacity on transparency issues with a view to reducing burdens on Parties facing duplicative reporting processes. Parties also emphasized that the mandates of each convention must remain distinct, and some Parties were opposed to undertaking work, for example, on reducing reporting burdens across conventions on the basis on not changing mandates of the various conventions.
As negotiations progressed at SB64, Parties started to find some areas of convergence on the potential scope of future work under the agenda item, which could include, inter alia: (i) the exchange of information and experience; and (ii) Parties’ views on opportunities to enhance to enhance the effectiveness of the Joint Liaison Group of Rio Convention Secretariats and cooperation with other international organizations.
Ultimately, however, Parties were unable to agree on timelines for future consideration or reach conclusions on the matter. Parties are expected to discuss cooperation with other international organizations, including the Rio Conventions, again at SB65, ⁹but draft text that they had worked on at SB64 will not be carried forward to COP31.

13. Parties to all three Rio Conventions and other MEAs have acknowledged that climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are interconnected and should be addressed in a more coordinated manner.

14.The conversations under the UNFCCC are unfolding against three important backdrops that could create conditions outside of the UNFCCC to further strengthen cooperation on climate among MEAs:

Ongoing work under UN80’s WP27 examining coherence, coordination, and institutional effectiveness across the UN environmental system.¹ It is important to note that work under UN80 is not considering institutional changes related to which governing bodies are responsible for climate change issues, the UNFCCC process, or its Secretariat.²
A Rio Conventions “triple COP” year as an important political opportunity to align implementation efforts across climate, biodiversity, and land agendas. The UNFCCC COP31 is scheduled for November in Antalya, Türkiye; CBD COP17 is scheduled for October in Yerevan, Armenia; and UNCCD COP17 is scheduled for August in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Ongoing discussions on how to achieve the SDGs in the second half of the decade and what a post-2030 development framework could look like, and how to maximize climate-development synergies. These discussions, including the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies work, are increasingly recognizing that progress toward the Paris Agreement goals and the SDGs are mutually reinforcing.³

15. Member States at UNEA-6 (2023) adopted a resolution on promoting synergies, cooperation or collaboration for national implementation of MEAs and other relevant environmental instruments that encouraged Member States to enhance synergies among MEAs and highlighted the importance of climate-SDG synergies.⁴ At CBD COP16 (2024), Parties welcomed the GST’s calls for strengthened Rio synergies.⁵ At UNCCD COP16 (2024), Parties adopted a decision encouraging enhanced collaboration across conventions.⁶ Further negotiations on synergies are expected across both for a this year.⁷

16. However, despite growing recognition of the need for synergistic approaches and initiatives to increase synergies, implementation and institutional processes often remain fragmented. Countries continue to navigate overlapping reporting requirements, separate workstreams, and parallel initiatives across conventions that frequently pursue related objectives. WP27 has also identified that the Rio Conventions, in particular, are frequently undertaking similar workstreams—including on implementation support, capacity building, and reporting—through separate institutional processes.⁸

17. For many lower capacity countries, this fragmentation creates unnecessary burdens. Reporting obligations are a particular challenge, especially where conventions request overlapping information through different timelines and formats. This fragmentation can undermine effective delivery of the Paris Agreement by increasing transaction costs and stretching limited national capacities.

18. Developing voluntary tools or platforms that help countries streamline reporting processes across conventions could be one practical focus for future work. A targeted technical support mechanism, similar to one modeled by the Paris Agreement’s Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency, could help align reporting efforts while respecting the distinct legal mandates of each agreement and support more integrated national implementation strategies. At the same time, institutional requirements under reporting regimes should aim to improve coherence and avoid duplication, for example, by identifying overlapping reporting requirements with respect to the enhanced transparency framework guidelines and SDG delivery indicators.

19. Panama’s NDC 3.0 could be highlighted as an example of streamlining overlapping reporting requirements across conventions. It submitted one document to all three Rio Conventions, serving as nationally determined contribution (NDC) and national adaptation plans (NAP) to the UNFCCC, its national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP) to the CBD, and its land degredation neutrality (LDN) target to the UNCCD.⁹

20. Initial findings under UN80’s WP27 show fragmentation and opportunities for stronger coordination. A more complete analysis and mapping of coordination and implementation across MEAs is expected in June for presentation to the Secretary-General. The findings will be reflected in an information brief to be made available by September 2026.¹⁰ The value of stronger cooperation will ultimately be determined not by whether new coordination mechanisms exist, but by whether they make implementation more effective and less burdensome for Parties.

21.As Parties work to meet their climate, biodiversity, land restoration, and sustainable development commitments—often under significant financial and technical constraints—greater alignment among international organizations and the UNFCCC may be needed. The discussions at COP31 may help clarify how the UNFCCC can best contribute to wider coherence efforts underway across the UN system, including through the UN80 initiative and broader SDG implementation discussions, while fully respecting the mandates and governing bodies of other conventions and organizations.

22. The UN expert group on climate and SDG synergies, co-convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the UNFCCC secretariat, has developed recommendations on how to simultaneously achieve the SDGs and tackle climate change, recognizing the importance of synergies in confronting interconnected challenges. In order to avoid the worst climate impacts, SDGs including poverty, inequality, hunger, food security, deforestation, and energy access must be at the heart of 1.5 degree C transition pathways. With 80 percent of SDG targets directly linked to climate change, acting on climate and human development together can deliver close to 40% greate efficiency in government spending.¹¹

23. This was further supported by the 2024 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) Political Declaration, which stated “we commit to enhance synergies towards effective national climate and development policies and actions, contributing to the achievement of global climate goals and delivering on the 2030 Agenda.”

24. Parties diverge on what they see as an appropriate scope for future work under the agenda item on cooperation with other international organizations. There is no consensus on what work under the agenda item should encompass going forward. Parties emphasized that work must be undertaken with respect to the decision-making authority of distinct Conventions, and within existing mandates and resources.

25. The information note by the Secretariat on cooperative activities suggests that the SBSTA consider:¹

inviting Parties to provide guidance on the scope and direction of cooperative activities: (i) with the Joint Liaison Group Secretariat; (ii) across the UNFCCC architecture; and (iii) with the United Nations Secretariat and other United Nations entities
making recommendations on key priority areas in which the UNFCCC Secretariat could enhance efforts to leverage contributions to address climate change from United Nations entities and other international organizations, including on possible approaches to undertake such efforts, such as memorandums of understanding or partnerships.

26. While several Parties expressed interest in working to improve the function of the JLG, tensions over procedural considerations and a lack of common understanding of what Parties could feasibly do to strengthen the JLG through SB conclusions or a COP decision slowed progress at SB64.

27. Some Parties are wary that further work under the agenda item could create duplicative processes and increase burdens on countries. Further, some Parties raised concerns that since the COP cannot mandate work by the JLG, discussions about what the group could do to improve cooperation may be futile. It is important to not that while the COP cannot mandate activities by the JLG, it can invite or urge the JLG to undertake activities—and has done so in the past. The COP could also invite or urge the Secretariat or Executive Secretary to undertake activities to improve cooperation with other international organizations.

28. Some Parties expressed a desire to improve synergistic approaches through this agenda item, while others expressed concerns with the term “synergies.” When the UNFCCC initially formally recognized the JLG in decision 13/CP.8, it did so in the context of “promoting synergies under the common objective of sustainable development.”

29. Any future work should seek to balance improved coordination and coherence with respect to the distinct legal mandates, governance arragements, and decision-making authority of each Convention, while fitting within existing resources.

30. If Parties were to decide that there was sufficient political will, several decision elements are possible without changing existing mandates, resources, and governance arrangements. One potential way forward could be to ask the UNFCCC Secretariat, in consultation with other Secretariats, to make suggestions on what could be done within the above restrictions.

31. Greater attention could be given to JLG of the Rio Convention Secretariats. The current “triple COP” year presents an opportunity to strengthen both the transparency and practical role of the JLG in supporting coordinated implementation. Parties could consider encouraging more regular engagement between Secretariats and clearer communication in ongoing collaborative work.

32. While Parties cannot mandate activities by the JLG in a COP decision, they could invite or urge the JLG, in a manner that is consistent with the Conventions’ respective mandates, governance arrangements, and existing resources, to engage in a range of activities including:

report back on work/present regularly to the SBSTA
provide/share/present guidance to countries on where overlaps in reporting requirements for NDCs, NAPs, NBSAPs, LDN targets exist, in order to help reduce reporting burdens and avoid duplication of work at the national level. They have already produced a brief through their Joint Capacity-building Programme on integrated planning of strategies and policies under the Rio Conventions that provides a few case studies of synergistic approaches and some broad recommendations that could be usefully built upon¹
synthesize good practice/tools for implementing the goals of the Rio Conventions in the context of promoting synergies under the common objective of sustainable development.

33. Parties also have the ability to request the UNFCCC Secretariat to undertake activities to strengthen cooperation with other international organizations, recalling Article 8.2(e) under the Convention. This could include:

presenting its report on cooperative activities with other international organizations
assessing opportunities to strengthen the JLG with a view to supporting Parties in navigating overlapping reporting requirements
strengthen cooperation with relevant the secretariats of relevant international bodies with a view to identifying and promoting synergies that support the implementation of the Convention, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs, and to report on progress at a future session.

34. Existing mandates under the UNFCCC also provide useful entry points to improve synergies with other international organizations. For example, under the Belém Gender Action Plan, Activity C.4 calls for strengthening cooperation among subsidiary bodies, relevant UN entities, and the JLG to support gender responsive action.

35. The CBD proposal for a multi-level roadmap supporting implementation across the Rio Conventions could also help inform discussions.²

36. Parties will need to determine whether and how work on this agenda item should continue beyond 2026. Options could inter alia include:

adopting a decision that reaffirms the importance of cooperation with other international organizations and request continued consideration of synergies with other international organizations, including the Rio Conventions, at at SB66 (June 2027)
agreeing to regular frequency and expectations for discussions under the agenda item on cooperation with international organizations, including the Rio Conventions, under SBSTA.

37. With regard to the frequency of discussions under the SBSTA agenda item on cooperation with other international organizations, options include

agreeing to consider the item at every meeting of the SBSTA
agreeing to consider the item at each June session of the SBSTA
agreeing to consider the item at the next session of the SBSTA (June 2027).

38. If Parties were to agree to continue consideration at future sessions, such discussions could:

provide space for Parties and Secretariats of relevant organizations to exchange updates on ongoing cooperation initiatives
identify practical opportunities to reduce duplication and improve implementation support
facilitate engagement with relevant international organizations and the wider UN system.

39. Parties could consider:

Welcoming or noting efforts under the CBD to build a multi-level roadmap supporting implementation across the Rio Conventions
encouraging collaboration with the wider UN development system to strengthen links between implementation of the GST outcomes and the achievement of the SDGs.
agreeing to consider how the UNFCCC can coherently support cooperative activities through existing workstreams. This could include encouraging relevant work programmes under the Convention and the Paris Agreement to identify opportunities for collaboration with related multilateral processes where this could improve implementation efficiency and coherence.

40. In considering options to strengthen cooperation with international organizations under the UNFCCC, Parties may also wish to note parallel opportunities available under the other Rio Conventions.

41. The provisional agenda for UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar (August 2026) includes a dedicated item on “Promotion and strengthening of relationships with other relevant conventions and international organizations, institutions and agencies.”¹ This agenda item provides a direct mandate for Parties to consider measures relating to cooperation and coordination with international organizations and other multilateral processes.

42. Recent UNCCD decisions further underscore the importance of coordinated action across the Rio Convention agendas. Decisions 7/COP.16 and 8/COP.16 encourage Parties to adopt holistic and integrated approaches to addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought, while recognizing their links with climate change and biodiversity loss and promoting the scaling up of nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches.²

43. Parties to the CBD are also expected to discuss cooperation with other Rio Conventions. Under CBD Decision 16/22 on biodiversity and climate change, Parties initiated work on enhancing coherence and cooperation across the Rio Conventions, including consideration of a possible joint work programme.³ SBSTTA Recommendation 27/3 builds on this mandate by inviting the Convention secretariats and Presidencies to develop a multilevel roadmap and accompanying mapping study to identify concrete opportunities for enhanced cooperation and synergies at the short-, medium-, and long-term horizons.⁴ Discussions at this year’s CBD COP17 in Yerevan (October 2026) are expected to build on these recommendations.

44. Many Parties are members of all three Conventions and may therefore pursue complementary approaches across forums to reinforce coherence, reduce duplication, and support integrated implementation at national and international levels.

Taking Forward Negotiations on Cooperation with Other International Organizations Under the UNFCCC Discussion Paper

Summary

Questions for Consideration

Context for Negotiations Under the UNFCCC

Understanding the Wider Context: Enhancing Cooperation Across the UN System

Issues in Negotiations Under the UNFCCC Agenda Item on Cooperation with Other International Organizations

Recommendations and Potential Elements of a COP31 Decision

Opportunities Under Other Rio Conventions

Library » Publication

Taking Forward Negotiations on Cooperation with Other International Organizations Under the UNFCCC Discussion Paper

Summary

Questions for Consideration

Context for Negotiations Under the UNFCCC

Understanding the Wider Context: Enhancing Cooperation Across the UN System

Issues in Negotiations Under the UNFCCC Agenda Item on Cooperation with Other International Organizations

Recommendations and Potential Elements of a COP31 Decision

Opportunities Under Other Rio Conventions

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