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COP Resource Hub

Accelerating action and integration of practical solutions for climate, nature, and people

In 2024, all three original Rio Conventions under the UN — on Climate, Biodiversity and Desertification — will have their Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings within the stretch of just three months: Starting with (1) the COP16 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Cali, Colombia from October 21-November 1, 2024 (also referred to as the Nature COP); followed by (2) COP29 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 11-22, 2024 (also referred to as the climate COP); and finally (3) the COP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from December 2-13, 2024 (also referred to as the desertification COP).

Having these COPs within a short period of just six weeks presents a rare opportunity to advance more integrated perspectives and leverage action on the common challenges facing our planet and to simultaneously address global biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation in a holistic and coordinated approach.

To support this opportunity, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) COP Resource Hub offers guidance to prepare and mobilize for each COP meeting.

Explore the Hub

What are COPs and Why Do They Matter This Year?

Action on Nature (COP16): The UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)

Key Dates: October 21 - November 1, 2024 (Cali, Colombia)

The COP is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Held every two years, its Conference of Parties (COP) aims to assess progress, set agendas, and adopt strategies to conserve biological diversity, ensure its sustainable use, and fairly share the benefits of the use of genetic resources. COP16 is the first meeting following the 2022 adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

From October 21-November 1, 2024, the CBD’s 196 Parties will convene in Cali, Colombia. This year’s theme, “Peace with Nature,” is “a call for reflection to improve the relationship we have with the environment [and] to rethink an economic model that does not prioritize the extraction, overexploitation and pollution of nature.”

For SDSN, COP16 represents an important opportunity to help mobilize political action, amplify the voices of scientists, practitioners, and communities, including Indigenous peoples, across the world’s primary tropical forest regions (the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Borneo).

Action on Climate (COP29): The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Key Dates: November 11 - 22, 2024 (Baku, Azerbaijan)

The UNFCCC COP is the supreme governing body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) tasked with reviewing national communications and emissions inventories submitted by Member States. The COP assesses the measures taken to address climate change and evaluates progress toward the Convention's goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It convenes annually, with its first meeting held in Berlin, Germany in 1995. The COP's venue and Presidency rotate among five recognized UN regions. This year, Azerbaijan has been selected as the Presidency of the COP29, to be hosted in Baku from November 11-22, 2024.

For SDSN, COP29 represents an important opportunity to help mobilize action on climate financing, including the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for Climate Finance, as well as support the efforts of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) to help realize the agreement reached at COP28 where governments agreed to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030. The CEET will be at COP29 to host discussions around the coal transition, the need for energy efficiency standards globally, retrofitting and repurposing fossil fuel infrastructure, the potential cost and benefits of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, and more.

Action on Land Degradation and Desertification (COP16): The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

Key Dates: December 2 - 13, 2024, (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

The UNCCD COP16 is the main decision-making body of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), one of the major UN treaties adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This COP is a crucial meeting aimed at assessing and adopting global efforts to combat land degradation and desertification and to strengthen resilience.

The UNCCD COP16 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from December 2-13, 2024, the first time the meeting will be held in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Coinciding with the UNCCD’s 30th anniversary, it will bring together government representatives, scientists, and civil society to assess progress on land restoration and drought resilience.

For SDSN, the UNCCD COP16 represents an opportunity to help advance firm commitments towards restoring degraded lands as well as accelerate education and knowledge for strengthening drought resilience.

SDSN’s Calls to Action

At the upcoming COPs, SDSN is mobilizing its network around the following priorities. We call on leaders:

  1. To agree on a New Collective Quantified Goal for Climate Finance, ambitious, practical, and at scale to meet developing countries needs and priorities for accelerating their action to both mitigate and adapt to climate impacts.
  2. To immediately phase out investments in fossil fuels and accelerate their practical transition toward 100% renewables, including by promoting international energy collaboration, regional interconnection, and multinational energy planning.
  3. To support a Tropical Forest Forever Facility to provide practical access and financing to conserve tropical forests and ecosystems in the Amazon, Congo Basin, Borneo, and Southeast Asia.
  4. To present their most specific and actionable Nationally Determined Contributions, linked to effective implementation and financing frameworks, that align with long-term strategies to guide decision making in this critical decade and engage their national research and higher education community.
  5. To invest in and engage with local and Indigenous knowledge, education, and regional collaboration as part of national nature and climate planning and implementation tracking, enhancing accountability and accelerating learning for impact.

What are the Key Issues at Stake This Year?

Each of the COPs will address critical issues related to biodiversity (CBD COP16), climate (UNFCCC COP29), and desertification (UNCCD COP16). Cross-cutting issues include accountability, implementation, and financing. Learn more about the key issues and necessary outcomes across each of the COPs.

  • Climate Finance

    Outcome Needed: Greater mobilization of financial resources to support climate, biodiversity, and land resilience efforts, including an agreement on the New Collective Quantified Goal.

    At the COP29, participants will address the critical need for global financial reform and investment to bolster sustainable development and climate action, particularly in developing countries and emerging economies. Member States are expected to adopt the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for Climate Finance, a critical mechanism of the Paris Agreement designed to set a new financial target to support developing countries in their efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

    Building on the $100 billion target set in 2009 at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, the NCQG seeks to mobilize more financial resources and fill key gaps in climate finance. It will focus on the specific vulnerabilities of developing countries and states, while emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in financial flows.

    Meanwhile, at CBD COP16, climate finance will be crucial to implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems. Effective financing is required to meet targets and support developing countries, which often host the richest biodiversity and frequently face funding limitations.

    Similarly, at UNCCD COP16, climate finance will be vital to developing and strengthening agendas to address land degradation, desertification, and drought. Efficient land restoration and drought resilience require significant investments, especially in rural and vulnerable communities where land degradation undermines food, water, and energy security.

  • Decarbonization

    Outcome Needed: Demonstrable progress towards new Nationally Determined Contributions to ensure a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

    Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, under which countries outline their efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and curb the impact of climate change. Given that current NDCs are insufficient to prevent a global temperature rise beyond 1.5°C, countries are under increased pressure to significantly strengthen their commitments.

    Discussions at the COP29 will emphasize the need for bold, actionable steps to reduce emissions and realize an energy system free of fossil fuels. Long-term decarbonization strategies and pathways that incorporate renewable energy technologies, financing mechanisms, and national policies will be central to NDCs achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

  • Carbon Markets

    Outcome Needed: Progress on the rules and landscape for implementation of Carbon Markets Negotiations.

    At the COP28, delegates discussed — but did not reach a consensus on — an organized, UN-governed carbon market. Outlined in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, carbon markets allow countries to trade carbon credits, or credits representing carbon emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere, and climate finance to be funneled to developing countries.

    Without a clear consensus on how Article 6 should operate, states are left to their own devices. Negotiations over pricing, regulations, and other technical elements will continue in Azerbaijan, with the hope of reaching a resolution to rebalance the global carbon budget.

  • Global Commitments on Adaptation and Loss & Damage

    Outcome Needed: New finance pledges and commitments from countries, especially for adaptation and loss and damage, and delivery of past commitments and pledges.

    Under the Paris Agreement, Parties committed to taking adaptive measures — ecological, social, and economic — to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Effective adaptation requires an inclusive approach, involving governments, local communities, NGOs, the private sector, and civil society. Despite these commitments, many regions remain highly vulnerable to climate risks, leading to loss and damage from climate-related disasters.

    The gap between necessary climate action and the support provided today is becoming more evident as the consequences of inaction unfold. At the COP29, Member States must reinforce and elevate their financial commitments and pledges, especially for adaptation and loss and damage. Strengthening financial support is crucial to building greater resilience, protecting livelihoods, and providing resources to recover from climate-induced disasters.

  • Accountability and Monitoring

    Outcome Needed: A robust mechanism to effectively monitor progress on the Global Biodiversity Framework and each party’s National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan.

    At the CBD COP15, Parties adopted the landmark agreement, the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and promoting ecosystem restoration. It established four long-term goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030, including protecting 30% of the world’s land and waters, halting species extinction, and ensuring sustainable use of biodiversity resources.

    The adoption of the GBF marked global consensus on the urgency and gravity of today’s biodiversity crisis, however, questions still remain on its implementation, operation, and monitoring. At the CBD COP16, all Parties are expected to present their implementation proposals, or their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). In addition, Parties must outline clear indicators and metrics for each GBF target, which must act as the foundation of a necessary mechanism to effectively monitor global progress and hold each Party accountable.

  • Restoration of Degraded Land and Drought Resilience

    Outcome Needed: Firm commitments towards restoring degraded lands and strengthening drought resilience.

    The health and vitality of the world’s lands directly impacts our climate, biodiversity, communities, and economies. As lands grow increasingly degraded, Parties at the UNCCD COP16 must reestablish and strengthen their commitments to restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030 to achieve a land-degradation neutral world. Parties must also invest in drought resilience by, for example, expanding the International Drought Resilience Alliance, a coalition aiming to counter the human, social and economic costs of droughts.

    The ongoing crisis of desertification, land degradation, and drought is also highly relevant to discussions surrounding the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at the CBD COP16. Biodiversity plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy, productive soils and ecosystems. The COP16 provides an opportunity for countries to align their desertification and land restoration goals with the broader targets of the GBF, reinforcing the global commitment to sustainable land management.

  • Inclusive, Equitable, and People-Centered Approaches

    Outcome Needed: Meaningful inclusion and participation of marginalized communities, Indigenous peoples, and vulnerable populations in decision-making processes.

    The impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation and drought are often seen and felt most acutely by marginalized communities, Indigenous peoples, and vulnerable populations, yet these very groups have historically been excluded from important decision-making processes. The CBD COP16 seeks to recognize and integrate the knowledge and experience of Indigenous populations and local communities into the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and each Party’s National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP). Meanwhile, the UNCCD COP16 seeks to preserve traditional and local knowledge while consolidating commitments and actions towards land restoration, ensuring that those who depend on land the most are an integral part of decision-making.

    It is essential that these groups play a key role in all the COPs to ensure an inclusive, equitable, and people-centered approach to all discussions and agendas.

Related Resources

Related SDSN Programs

Related SDSN News

Related SDSN Products

SDSN Courses & Tools

SDSN and Partner Events

Nature COP (CBD, COP16): Colombia

  • October 21, 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM GMT-5 - Science, Technology, and Innovation for a New Economy for the Amazon (Amazonia Forever Pavilion)
  • October 25, 2:00 to 3:30 PM GMT-5 - Universidades y Protección de la Amazonía: Ciencia, Saberes y Cooperación para un Futuro Sostenible (Casa Humboldt)
  • October 25, 10:00 - 11:00 AM GMT-5 - Forum on Energy Transition and Biodiversity Conservation
  • October 26, 12:15 to 1:30 PM GMT-5 - Bridging Worlds: Promoting Knowledge Dialogues for Amazon Conservation and Sustainable Development (Amazonia Forever Pavilion)
  • October 28, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM GMT+5 - Scientific Cooperation for Tropical Forest Conservation and Sustainable Development: Amazon, Congo, and Borneo Science Panels (GEF Pavilion)
  • October 30 - Action on Nature: Beyond paper and promised (Nature Positive Pavillon)
  • October 31 - From Farm to Future: Integrating Climate Resilience and Biodiversity in Food Systems

For more information on SDSN's events at COP16 visit www.unsdsn.org/events/

Climate COP (UNFCCC, COP29): Azerbaijan

Information coming soon.

Desertification COP (UNCCD, COP16): Saudi Arabia

Information coming soon.

Press Inquiries

Contact our global Communications Team to request an interview with one of our experts at the COPs.

Alyson Marks

Head of Communications & External Relations

[email protected]

Tara Everton

Communications Manager

[email protected]