UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM

Chief Executives Board
for Coordination

CEB
CEB/2021/HLCP41/CRP.2
12 April 2021

HIGH-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON PROGRAMMES (HLCP)
Forty-first Session
29 and 30 March 2021
audio/video

A common approach to integrating biodiversity and nature-based solutions forsustainable development into the UN’s policy and programme planning and delivery(Prepared by the UNEP, UNDP and HLCP Biodiversity Task Team)

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CEB/2021/HLCP41/CRP.2“By living in harmony with nature, we can avert the worst impacts of climate change and recharge biodiversity for the
benefit of people and the planet.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Summit on Biodiversity, 2020.

1. The United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) meeting on 14 May 2020 endorsed
a stronger focus on nature across the whole UN system and tasked its High-level Committee on Programmes(HLCP) to develop a common approach to integrating biodiversity1 and nature-based solutions for sustainable
development into the UN’s policy and programme planning and delivery. Through this common approach the
UN system expresses a shared recognition of the urgency to act, and a commitment to mainstream
biodiversity and nature-based solutions through collective action.
2. The interrelated consequences of environmental degradation, including biodiversity and habitat loss, climatechange, air, land, and water pollution, illegal exploitation, increasing disaster risk and the rise of zoonotic
diseases, demonstrate the need for a reimagining of the human relationship to nature as a symbiotic one2.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the extraordinary interconnectedness between human, animal andenvironmental health, and how this underpins the stability of social, economic and financial systems, global
peace and stability. It provided the world with an opportunity to reflect on cooperation and the choices weneed to make to tackle global systemic risks and challenges, and how our societies can be reshaped as part ofthe sustainable and resilient recovery from this crisis.

Figure 1: Impact areas and medium-term objectives of the common approach

1 See Annex I for a Glossary of Terms
2 See Annex II: It’s time to restore our relationship with nature

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3. The UN common approach on biodiversity is structured around 3 impact areas and 15 medium-term
objectives that contribute to the realization of the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature3 where
biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining ahealthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people. It also proposes a set of outcomes that can beachieved by the UN system through increased collaboration, as well as an accountability framework forcoherent and collective outputs on biodiversity.
4. As countries face the COVID-19 pandemic and act to recover, they are turning to the UN system for better
coordinated and scaled solutions4. The UN needs to demonstrate concerted action, through its convening
power and leveraging of expertise across the UN system, and the development of stronger, more coherent
knowledge-based resources in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2050 visionof ‘living in harmony with nature’.

I.

Overview

5. Through this common approach the UN system expresses a shared recognition of the urgency to act, and acommitment to mainstream biodiversity through better coordinated efforts that will connect and build on
strategies and programmes of work of UN system entities and facilitate the implementation of the post 2020
global biodiversity framework in alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement5. Collective action
on nature furthermore supports the implementation of the Secretary-General’s vision on prevention6, andcontributes to outcomes across the three pillars of the UN system: peace and security, human rights, anddevelopment.
6. Given the scope of the task at hand, the common approach is structured to achieve impact over the next
decade in three areas: (i) human rights, peaceful societies and planetary stability; (ii) a green and inclusive
economic recovery; and (iii) strengthened institutions, accountability and justice. To acceleratetransformational change in these three areas, it focuses on creating opportunities for collective action andjoint delivery of initiatives at the global, regional and country levels, while pursuing alignment within therespective entities.
7. The common approach provides a structure to organise collective action and joint delivery to mainstream
biodiversity and nature-based solutions. It elaborates on 15 medium-term objectives or expectedaccomplishments that contribute to the realization of the 2050 vision. These are the longer-term transitions
beyond the common approach’s direct outcomes, and should be pursued in partnership with government,
business and civil society. They set the overall strategic intent of the common approach, and eachcontribute to at least one of the impact areas, which are required to live in harmony with nature.

3 Updated zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, August 2020.
4 See Annex III for the context of the UN common approach on biodiversity and nature-based solutions
5 See more information about the Paris Agreement at https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
6 See more at https://www.un.org/sg/en/priorities/prevention.shtml

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Figure 2: Structure of the common approachII.

Impact Areas of the common approach – creating long-term change“Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone,
everywhere. In this context, the recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity.” UN Secretary-General António
Guterres, State of the Planet Address, Columbia University 7

Human rights, peaceful societies and planetary stability
8. #1: Human rights are protected and can be exercised, including the right to a safe, clean, healthy andsustainable environment8. The substantive elements of this right include a stable climate9; safe water andsanitation; clean air, soils and water; healthy, nutritious and sustainably produced food; healthy ecosystems
and biodiversity; and participation, access to information and access to justice in environmental matters. The
fulfilment of the rights of individuals and peoples in vulnerable situations is essential for designing fair andeffective actions to use, conserve and restore nature. It includes protecting and promoting the rights
enshrined in the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)10 and the Indigenous
and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)11, addressing gender differences in vulnerability and roles, andgender inequalities in resource access and rights and capacity for decision-making; and ensuring the rights ofchildren, youth and future generations to enjoy a healthy natural world. Protecting environmental humanrights defenders and activists contributes to fulfilling the right to a healthy environment. Under the UN

7 https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2020-12-02/address-columbia-university-the-state-of-the-planet
8 Report of the Special Rapporteur David R. Boyd on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean,healthy and sustainable environment.
9 Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, see:https://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/application/pdf/conveng.pdf
10 See https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf
11 https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169

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Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, businesses also have a responsibility to respect humanrights.
9. #2: Persons, groups and people in vulnerable situations, particularly those who rely on natural resources
for subsistence and cultural identity, and who are disproportionately affected by environmental
degradation12, are prioritised13. The areas projected to experience significant negative effects from global
environmental change are often home to indigenous peoples, local communities and persons living in poverty.
Indigenous peoples14 for instance are already facing several socio-economic and environmental challenges,
because of historical inequities and discrimination, and are nearly three times more likely to be in extreme
poverty compared to their non-indigenous counterparts15 16. Weakened coping mechanisms and resilience
link to conflict and migration (and vice versa) in the face of environmental change17.
10. #3: A One Health approach18 is implemented, and the interconnections among people, animals andecosystems are recognized. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforce the need for scaling up
investments that focus on the root causes of zoonotic infectious disease emergence and spread, including
wildlife trafficking and the introduction of illegally wild sourced species into legal value chains, while
preventing possible future outbreaks19. To effectively manage major health risks that affect people andanimals (livestock and wildlife), requires a systems perspective on the human-animal-ecosystem interface andto address disease dynamics in the broader context of systemic risk. These dynamics are impacted byconsumption of and trade in species, natural resource management, and other socioeconomic and cultural
factors such as agriculture, tourism and urban expansion. Sustainably urban and regional planning can lower
the rates of interspecies conflict at the frontier of cities – and thus the transmission of zoonotic diseases –while reducing emissions, lowering air pollution levels and overall improving human health.
11. #4: Nature is conserved and restored, while nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction20, climate
action21 are accelerated. Nature conservation and ecosystem restoration provide a range of direct benefits
for communities, local authorities and the private sector, including creating jobs and reducing exposure bybolstering livelihoods options and reducing vulnerability. It is critical to ensure that these benefits can berealized by all, with fair and equitable access, as well as those benefits derived from genetic resources.
Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are rights holders and indispensable leaders andparticipants, providing knowledge and tools to promote proactive management, sustainable use,

12 IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
13 Consistent with the universal values of the 2030 Agenda, principle two on Leave No One Behind
14 See also CEB Call to Action on Indigenous Peoples
15 Indigenous peoples might be forced to migrate away from their traditional lands due to environmental impacts, and may face a double
discrimination in their host communities, as migrants and as indigenous people.
See also ILO, 2019. Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an Inclusive, Sustainable and Just
Future.
16 https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/climate-change.html
17 UN, 2021. Security Council Press Release, SC 14445, 23 February 2021.
18 ILRI, UNEP, 2020. Preventing the next pandemic - Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission.
19 An integrated approach such as the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) is important to strengthen preparedness andcapabilities that prevent the origin and spread of pandemics.
20 See Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction: Implementing Nature-based Solutions for Resilience United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, 2020: https://www.undrr.org/publication/ecosystem-based-disaster-risk-reductionimplementing-nature-based-solutions-0; Words Into Action: Nature-Based Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction (2020)
https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74082
21 Kapos, V., Wicander, S., Salvaterra, T., Dawkins, K., Hicks, C. 2019. The Role of the Natural Environment in Adaptation, Background
Paper for the Global Commission on Adaptation.

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conservation and the restoration of natural ecosystem services and biodiversity. Integrating nature-based
solutions as instruments of city planning and community resilience offer multiple co-benefits, including
reduced spatial inequality and unequal exposure to extreme weather events and sea level rise among
vulnerable local populations.
12. #5: The links between biological and cultural diversity are recognized, and the protection of sites ofinternational importance for biological and cultural diversity enhanced. The diverse values of nature and therelationship between biological and human cultural diversity are better understood and reflected in policy
and action, including those building solidarity and collective action between different stakeholder groups.
Enhancing lifelong learning, education and skills on environmental issues and stewardship, is the best longterm route to transform how we interact with nature, while ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems,
recognized by some cultures as Mother Earth.
A green and inclusive economic recovery
13. #6: Public and private finance and investments, especially those mobilized to respond to the COVID-19
induced crisis, accelerate green, just and inclusive socioeconomic transitions, including from the informal
to formal economy. Public investment, including repurposing harmful subsidies, along with tax policies,
regulations and incentives can increase private investment in green and blue economy strategies, creating
decent jobs opportunities while strengthening planetary stability22. The UN can shape the discourse of how
current financial flows – whether in the form of public expenditures such as subsidies, capital investments orline budgets, or in the form of private sector finance, such as private investment, banking, loans or insurance– can prevent or account for the negative impacts on nature, and at the same time increase the flow of financefor nature-positive investments23.
14. #7: Sustainable consumption, including sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods24, is promoted, inequalities are
eliminated and biodiversity loss halted. Global consumption patterns, characterized by short-term interests,
insufficient transparency of supply chains, and a lack of consumer awareness, are manifestations of theindirect drivers25 of the continued loss of biodiversity and are unsustainable. Consumption patterns drive
trade in materials and goods, through which environmental and health impacts from the consuming highincome countries are displaced to the middle-and low income countries. Yet, sustainable and legal trade canprovide income opportunities and incentives for conservation. Per capita impacts caused by consumption in
high-income countries are between three and six times larger than those of low-income countries26. To makeconsumption sustainable we need to close the loops of materials and reuse, redesign and recycle. Effective
urban waste management can prevent ocean pollution (including plastic) and lower the level of organic matterin landfills, thus significantly reducing methane emissions.

22 See ‘Practical Lessons for Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic – Principles for Recovery’, January 2021;

https://www.recoveryplatform.org/assets/publication/Covid19_Recovery/Practical%20Lessons%20for%20Recovery%20from%20the%20
COVID-19%20Pandemic_Consultative%20Edition.pdf
23 For example, although nature provides up to 38 per cent of our climate mitigation solution, nature-based climate solutions only receive
3 per cent of global climate finance. Global climate finance from the public and private sectors in 2017-18 hit US$579 billion, while global
biodiversity finance currently averages between US$78 – 91 billion a year.
24 One Planet Network Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme
25 Categorized as demographic and sociocultural, economic and technological, institutions and governance, and conflicts and epidemics in
the Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services.
26 IRP (2019). Global Resources Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want. A report of the International Resource Panel.

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15. #8: Material-intensive socioeconomic production systems27 are transformed to create better outcomes forpeople and nature, while meeting increased demand for resources and materials. Governments, businesses,
workers and consumers can encourage and influence markets’ transition to sustainable production patterns
by requesting improvements in how they source and regenerate, process, transport, trade and use natural
resources, and how the resulting waste is minimized, recycled or disposed. These production systems are bothpredetermined by and create spatial patterns such transportation routes, infrastructure and urban areas. To
reduce the extraction of new resources, circular economy approaches provide the tools for a system redesign,
starting with planning for a long life of materials. Technical solutions exist, but requires cultural andbehavioural changes to be applied at scale.
16. #9: Sustainable and secure food systems are ensured through urgent action by all actors28. Food systems
are associated with many of the direct drivers of biodiversity loss, through land-use change, largescalemonoculture of a handful of major food crops at the expense of large numbers of underutilized crops,
overexploitation of fisheries, the impacts of excess nutrients, use of chemicals, food waste and loss, and thegeneration of greenhouse gases. The social and economic disruption caused by the pandemic has also affected
the food system29. It highlighted that 3 billion people are directly dependent on agriculture, forests andfisheries for food, jobs and livelihoods. Diversity in production systems is important for resilience, forhealth, for nutrition, and for the associated biodiversity providing the ecosystems services that support
agricultural production. There is an urgent need to mainstream biodiversity across food policies and practices
at all levels and to develop long-term strategies addressing the sustainability challenges faced by actors acrossthe systems.
17. #10: Markets, economic and financial practices are fundamentally reformed and use metrics forgovernments, the private sector and society, to measure progress towards sustainable development,
supported by strengthened regulations to conserve and restore natural capital30. The anticipated post-2020
global biodiversity framework calls on governments to make the ecological foundation of our economies
central to development and fiscal planning. The 2020 Human Development Report31 argues that as people
and planet enter an entirely new geological epoch, the Anthropocene or the Age of Humans, it is time for all
countries to redesign their paths to progress by fully accounting for the dangerous pressures humans put on
the planet, and working towards human activities generating net positive effect on nature.
Strengthened institutions, accountability and justice
18. #11: Institutional capacity is supported to plan and pursue integrated solutions to reverse biodiversity loss
and accelerate progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Sectoral policies and measures often
fail to account for indirect, distant and cumulative biodiversity impacts in a globalised world, which can haveadverse effects, including the exacerbation of inequalities32. Institutional capacity and social dialogue isneeded to pursue integrated solutions for complex issues such as food security, land and water use, healthand migration. They require integrated and holistic policies and strategies on climate change, disaster risk
reduction and biodiversity: for decent jobs, social resilience, sustainable economic development and trade,
27 Food, land and ocean use; energy and extractives; infrastructure and the built environment. See WEF, 2020. The future of nature andbusiness.
28 WEF, 2020. The future of nature and business.
29 Impact of COVID-19 on people’s livelihoods, their health and our food systems. Joint statement by ILO, FAO, IFAD and WHO, 13
October 2020
30 Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, 2020. Independent Review on the Economics of Biodiversity. Interim Report.
31 http://hdr.undp.org/en/2020-report
32 IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

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peace and conflict prevention. Many of the SDGs, even those that do not mention the environment explicitly,
will only be met if there is substantial progress on environmental management, rule of law and governance33.
19. #12: Safeguards on biodiversity and the integrity of all ecosystems are implemented, sectoral and national
accountability is clarified, and monitoring and reporting against environmental obligations fulfilled.
National institutions are supported to operationalize strengthened systems within and across all productive
and consumptive sectors (including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining, tourism, infrastructure and thebuilt environment), with the aim to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity, create sustainable economic
models, and reduce the risk of emerging zoonotic diseases.
20. #13: Environmental rule of law34 and procedural rights on access to information and justice are promoted,
and meaningful participation in environmental decision-making is enabled. Environmental rule of law is acornerstone of human health and welfare, and serves to create an expectation of compliance withenvironmental law coordinated between government, private sector, and civil society. It ensures adherence
to the standards, procedures, and approaches set forth in these laws to ensure a safe and stable climate, anda healthy environment, within and among countries.
21. #14: Criminal justice and anti-corruption measures to environment-related crimes are strengthened as an
essential part of the integrated solutions to protecting biodiversity. Strengthening justice system measures
can address a variety of trafficking and economic crimes, contribute to reversing negative trends inbiodiversity loss, and mainstream preventive approaches to national and international biodiversity
management. Justice and accountability measures can protect environmental human rights defenders fromthreats related to their efforts to preserve their lands and communities.
22. #15: Advanced digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) are deployed to ensure open
access to and equitable coverage of data and repositories. Working in partnership with public and private
actors, open access policies for biodiversity data are promoted, bringing innovation in monitoring
environmental change and protecting biodiversity. This would provide data, information and tools for
decision-makers and citizens while increasing accountability and transparency. International standards can beleveraged to ensure ICTs are deployed in a safe, sustainable and environmentally sound manner, without
impacting biodiversity itself35. ICTs also support educational programmes and citizen-science activities onnature and sustainability, building capacity to analyse and interpret environmental data.

III.

Outcomes of the common approach – delivered through collaboration

23. Coherent action by UN system entities can drive solutions towards the impact areas of the common approach– human rights, peaceful societies and planetary stability; a green and inclusive economic recovery; andstrengthened institutions, accountability and justice. Together with Member States, business and social
partners, academia, and civil society36, the UN can build on existing initiatives with major groups and forge
new collaborations to address broader sustainable development-related risks and opportunities by taking on
board the connections between nature, society and the economy.
24. Annex IV provides a list of existing actions and potential opportunities for greater collaboration. It is an
illustrative list of practical interventions that the UN can pursue jointly as part of the common approach on
33 UNEP, 2019. Environmental Rule of Law – First Global Report.
34 UNEP, 2019. Environmental Rule of Law – First Global Report.
35 See the international standards developed by ITU-T Study Group 5 (SG5).
36 See Sustainable Development Goal 17 on Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable

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biodiversity. These are some of the practical interventions that can be tailored to regional and national
contexts to bring about this change. The sum of these actions can help deliver the following outcomes on
the global, regional and national levels.
Global advocacy and normative frameworks
25. #1: UN system entities demonstrate leadership on biodiversity and promote strong commitments fornature. In the run-up, adoption and subsequent implementation phase of the post-2020 global biodiversity
framework, UN system entities individually and collectively align with the strategic intent of the common
approach on biodiversity and nature-based solutions. By harnessing the power of UN-convened coalitions37
or multi-stakeholder advocacy platforms38, the UN system can advocate for whole-of society and whole-ofgovernment approaches to take urgent action to avert, mitigate, and address climate and nature related-risks
and promote nature-based solutions for sustainability.
26. #2: The UN system delivers unified communications campaigns to mobilize demand for global action for
nature. Collective action can reach out to a wide variety of audiences and beneficiaries among governments,
business and civil society to promote awareness about biodiversity and nature, and drive public demand to
shift national and sectoral policies, as well as business and consumer practices. Global communication andmobilization initiatives – for example, the UN Decades of Action for SDGs, on Ecosystem Restoration, on Family
Farming and on Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – can integrate climate action and biodiversity
messaging to drive the social, economic and governance transformations outlined in section II of the common
approach.
27. #3: Through initiatives such as the SG’s Common Agenda, the UN system convenes dialogues on systemic
challenges that can only be addressed through multilateral action. These could include advancing norms andstandards for international systems of environmental and financial accounting, and transparency for public
and private sector performance and metrics for measuring human and planetary well-being. These actions
could focus on creating critical mass in governance and market instruments that redirect unsustainableproduction and consumption subsidies in fossil fuels, as well as agriculture, fisheries and the food sector;
towards procurement, investment, banking and insurance policies that help to transform the climate andnature-related footprint of business-as-usual practices.
28. #4: The Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Human Rights39 is implemented to support action on
biodiversity. The Call to Action demands UN system support to, inter alia, promote the human right to ahealthy environment, ensure the protection of environmental human rights defenders, increase education,
lifelong learning and capacity-building related to the environment, improve regulatory frameworks andeconomic policies for sustainable businesses, ensure the meaningful and informed participation of all
stakeholders, including women, girls, and youth, in environmental decision-making, and support access tojustice and effective remedies for environmental harms.
29. #5: UN system entities collaborate with partners to provide data for insight, impact & integrity, and aligned
to the SG’s Data Strategy40. The ambition is to improve the integration of biodiversity analytics into the data
infrastructure of the UN system, Multilateral Environmental Agreements and wider global digital ecosystems
37 Such as the coalition for nature led by UNESCO with UNEP.
38 Such as the Sharm El Sheikh to Kunming Action Agenda for Nature and People; the Ocean Action Portal; SDG Action Zone; NAZCA

Climate portal, etc.
39 See https://www.un.org/sg/sites/www.un.org.sg/files/atoms/files/The_Highest_Asperation_A_Call_To_Action_For_Human_Right_English.pdf
40 UN, 2020. Data Strategy of the Secretary General for Action by Everyone, Everywhere.

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for the planet: ensuring key data, tools and other digital public goods to become more solution-driven andeasily usable by key decision-makers. This will help amplify the use of biodiversity data for decision-making
within UN policy and programme planning and delivery, as well as by a range of decision-makers in the public
and private sectors.
Regional collaboration
30. #6: The UN regional mechanisms foster collaboration within and between regions to address biodiversityrelated challenges that transcend borders. Collective, issues-based actions and knowledge management
platforms at the regional level can pool global knowledge and expertise that are relevant to the specificregional context, broker cross-sectoral and multi-country/multi-regional solutions and enable progress on
nexus issues that cannot be addressed on a country-by-country basis.
31. #7: Member States are supported to position regional and national priorities in biodiversity-related
multilateral negotiations and processes. The UN Regional Collaborative Platforms, Issue-based coalitions andother regional mechanisms and fora, especially the Regional Fora for Sustainable Development and Regional
Fora of Ministers – of Environment and other sectors – all provide opportunities to discuss action on
biodiversity loss. These mechanisms and fora can serve as a platform for the design, follow-up and monitoringof regional plans, priorities and the implementation of global agreements. The regional level is a vital bridgeto the global level and national levels respectively, and provides a platform to engage on the management of
the global environmental commons, its linkages to transboundary or multi-country challenges, regional
human rights mechanisms and relevant regional law41.
32. #8: Regional development banks are engaged to integrate biodiversity conservation and nature-based
solutions in economic models, and design incentives and policies for investment in ecological and social
sustainability. Scenario analysis and futures/foresight thinking and approaches could be used to engage
clients, and explore alternative pathways for e.g. infrastructure development, taking into consideration
climate change scenarios, disaster risk considerations, social impacts, environmental degradation and therestoration of ecological infrastructure for adaptation. Financial institutions could develop blended publicprivate approaches that share the costs and benefits of investing in sustainable infrastructure.
National implementation42
33. #9: UN Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams support Member States to implement MEA
decisions43, through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks and the COVID-19 SocioEconomic Response Plans44. A mainstreaming approach is needed that promotes a shift away from minimizing
the harm of activities that deplete biodiversity, towards proactive support of green economy decent jobs andecosystem resilience45, reducing disaster risks, including related to pandemics. The decisions of theConferences of the Parties to the biodiversity-related conventions and Members of other biodiversity-relatedagreements require: robust systems for planning46; convening multi-stakeholder processes and brokering

41 For example, the Escazu Agreement and the Aarhus Convention.
42 Including advocacy, coordination, policy and programming support at national level, in line with the three Impact Areas of the common

approach.
43 Including relevant UN global goals and targets, such as the Global Forest Goals of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests.
44 This includes recommendations from the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, and the
UN Universal Periodic Review.
45 See https://ipbes.net/guide-production-assessments for more information.
46 Guidance and tools similar to the UN Common Approach to Resilience could be developed to support UN Country Teams.

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cross-sectoral and multi-institutional cooperation and partnerships; creating policy instruments andlegislation; and developing capacities for monitoring and reporting systems47.
34. #10: UN Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams support the inclusion of biodiversity and naturebased solutions in Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFF). UN entities can support country accessto resources to implement the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and the nature-dependent elementsof the SDGs, including through existing multilateral mechanisms48 and joint programmes. Mobilizing public
and private, domestic and international resources can create blended finance options to mitigate the negative
distribution effects in the early years of a longer-term transformation of the economy49.
35. #11: UN Country Teams promote environmental and intergenerational justice as an integral part of the UN’s
advocacy on human rights, rule of law and governance. Cross-sectoral approaches are needed that support
dialogue among resource-related ministries, gender and human rights institutions, with the criminal justicesystem, anti-corruption authorities and fiscal authorities. Cooperation across disciplines highlights that all
have a role to play and requires coherent policies, tools and capacity to respond to the biodiversity and climate
agendas. Recognition and protection of the individual and collective rights to lands, resources, knowledge,
and territories of those most affected by environmental harms can have positive effects for both people andplanet.50
36. #12: UN Country Teams facilitate inclusive multi-stakeholder partnerships and promote networking toresolve development conflicts, nexus issues and landscape/seascape level challenges in a transparent andequitable manner. There is an urgent need to better protect the individual and collective rights of all persons,groups and peoples in ways that allow them to more equitably benefit from nature and ecosystem services
and sustainable economies. UN Country Teams should take measures to empower and protect people,
particularly environmental human rights defenders, to meaningfully participate in development matters andaccess justice for environmental harms without fear of reprisal. Effective approaches are needed to recognisestewardship, address the role of criminal organizations and corruption, harmonize policies across sectors andcoordinate action across jurisdictions, and thus account for ecological and social differences acrosslandscapes.

IV.

Accountability – coherent and collective action on biodiversity

37. The common approach and actions for nature will be implemented by the collaborative efforts of relevant
United Nations entities at the global, regional and national level, taking into consideration the strengths andmandate of each entity based on the impact areas, together with relevant inter-agency mechanisms andpartnerships, including those that are operationally oriented or mandated. Coherent and collective action,

47 For example, the LNOB section of the UNSDCF would identify the groups and ecosystems most vulnerable to the loss of biodiversity,

the economic transformation section would include impact and dependency analysis of economic sectors and ecosystem services; thehuman rights section would look at environmental rights and environmental human rights. defenders; ecosystem state and trends mightfeature in the risk analysis, transboundary analysis or cross pillar analysis sections; green and sustainable financing options might be
included in SDG financing analysis section.
48 Existing mechanisms include the Global Mechanism (GM) established under Article 21 of the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) to assist countries in the mobilization of financial resources to implement the Convention and addressdesertification, land degradation and drought. Moreover, the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) carries out its forest financing activities
through the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN).
49 IRP, 2019. Global Resources Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want.
50 IPCC Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhousegas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2020/07/03_Technical-Summary-TS_V2.pdf

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grounded in the principles of the UN Charter, will have a strong foundation in evidence and knowledge,
providing an effective science–policy–practice continuum to UN programming on biodiversity at all levels.
Internal policy alignment and coherence
38. #1: The UN system can prove its commitment to biodiversity and nature-based solutions through its
corporate behaviour. The UN 2020-2030 Sustainability Strategy Phase I “Environmental Sustainability in thearea of management” commits UN entities to a set of corporate environmental objectives including themainstreaming and disclosure of performance on biodiversity-related measures for its facilities andoperational portfolio. Following the mitigation hierarchy, UN entities need to assess the potential impact of
their corporate choices on biodiversity and offset unavoidable and complex adverse impacts. Where possible
and with reasonable resources, this should be complemented by on-site and off-site ecological enhancement,
including through seeking nature-based solutions to improve the overall organization’s footprint.
39. Taking advantage from existing and relevant interagency networks, UN entities could jointly develop targetedbiodiversity guidance for specific management functions, training and capacity building, as well as a bestpractices exchange system. In the context of the reforms, and with the goal to show leadership of the UN on
the ground, UN Resident Coordinators can promote biodiversity and other environmental considerations areintegrated in the Business Operations Strategy (BOS) and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) to support thework of Country Teams.
40. #2: The UN system needs to lead by example in its policy, programme planning and implementation. In
implementing the common approach on biodiversity and nature-based solutions, UN entities can build on the
Model Approach to Environmental and Social Standards in UN Programming and on the UN 2020-2030
Sustainability Strategy Phase II, which is currently under development and will expand environmental andsocial sustainability requirements to UN programme planning and implementation.
Align current resources and mobilize additional joint financing
41. #3: UN entities can review their current programming and resources to ensure that operations integratebiodiversity and nature-based solutions, prevent or account for negative impacts, and do not exacerbate
and accelerate biodiversity loss. UN entities can also help to drive biodiversity-friendly investment and avoidsilo approaches by redirecting their financial flows towards more environment- and people-friendly outcomes.
42. #4: Collaborative efforts can support the creation and capitalization of new pooled funding mechanisms forjoint programming needed to restore our relationship to biodiversity and ecosystem services at scale. For
instance, a multi-partner trust fund could be created and/or new windows could be embedded in existing
funds. This would highlight biodiversity’s underpinning value for sustainable development and harness thepotential of UN collective action. The appropriate standards aligned with the UN Model Approach toEnvironmental and Social Safeguards shall apply to all funding.
Exchange knowledge needed to identify, prioritize, scale up and accelerate action
43. #5: Working together, UN system data, knowledge and expertise can be leveraged at all levels to provide
capacity building in support of the implementation of Member States’ obligations and commitments, postpandemic recovery plans and the biodiversity-dependent elements of the SDGs. For example, a series ofthematic webinars and training seminars could be supported by the UN Environment Management Group andother entities to raise awareness on biodiversity linkages to the key areas of work of the UN development
system.

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44. #6: Knowledge-sharing via the UN regional mechanisms, notably Regional Collaborative Platforms, Regional
Issue-based coalitions and Regional Peer Support Groups can strengthen intra-regional advocacy,
engagement and technical work on issues such as environmental degradation, climate resilience andmigration. Increased collaboration at, and among, the UN regional mechanisms can increase visibility of
biodiversity and nature-based solutions for the Resident Coordinator Offices and UN Country Teams, while
also drawing on and informing global level UN collaboration.
45. #7: Greater engagement with and visibility of biodiversity in existing global coordination mechanisms, suchas UN-Water, UN-Oceans, UN-Energy, UN-Nutrition, EMG, and the Collaborative Partnerships on Forests andon Wildlife, as well as specialized data platforms such as integrated biodiversity assessment tools51, the UN
Biodiversity Lab, the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting52, the SDG6 Global Acceleration Framework, and the Climate
Adaptation Knowledge Hub53, among others, can support interdisciplinary knowledge development andinformation exchange to identify and document best practices and accelerate cross-sectoral and cross-country
solutions.
Coordinate outreach and communications efforts
46. #8: UN entities can contribute to and use coherent narratives during the UN Decades of Action for SDGs, on
Ecosystem Restoration, on Family Farming and on Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Common
narratives can articulate the science-policy-practice linkages to inspire nature-positive actions. Joint advocacy
should inform post-COVID recovery agendas, provide evidence how biodiversity underpins the delivery of theSDGs, and focus material and non-material benefits from action to the economy and trade. Combined efforts
are needed to engage institutions from the public, private and civil society sectors beyond the environmentand conservation sectors.
47. #9: UN entities can coordinate efforts to capitalize on the political leadership, key outcomes and messagesof the UNGA Summit on Biodiversity54 held in September 2020. Outputs could include broadening politicalsupport for the climate action and biodiversity agendas across the constituencies of UN entities, securing theambitious policies and targets, and creating momentum and capacity for implementation. The UN system canconvene high-level dialogues on the nexus of biodiversity, climate change and justice system agendas todevelop inclusive and multi- governance approaches.

V.

Reporting

48. It is recognized that UN System entities have reporting obligations individually on the implementation of theSDGs and, where relevant, their contribution to the anticipated post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
These measures of support and progress are also collated and reported on collectively, as well as on other UN
system-wide strategies and action plans.
49. Providing the evidence of the implementation of the common approach on biodiversity and nature-based
solutions can draw on existing reporting, and include a limited number of measurable targets and theassociated indicators, while helping UN entities to accomplish their strategies, programmes of work and

51 For example, IBAT and B-INTACT
52 See https://seea.un.org/ecosystem-accounting
53 See: https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/NWPStaging/Pages/Home.aspx
54 See https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2020-09-30/secretary-generals-remarks-united-nations-biodiversity-summit-

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corporate environmental sustainability. To this end, existing UN system reporting mechanisms should
increasingly take into consideration biodiversity-related targets and indicators.
50. In accordance with the 2020 QCPR resolution, the UN development system must report to the ECOSOC
Operational Activities segment on the implementation of the common approach on biodiversity, among
others, in the framework of the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of resolution 75/233.
Tracking the UN system support to deliver on the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda can be done through the UN
INFO55 system at country level and the Regional Collaborative Platforms at regional level.
51. To monitor the progress achieved in creating coherent and collective actions on biodiversity and nature-based
solutions in the UN system, it is proposed that the UN Environment Management Group (EMG) identifies alimited number of measurable targets and related indicators based on existing reporting mechanisms andcompiles a mid-term and final report on the implementation of the common approach at the global level. This
information will contribute to the Secretary-General report on the implementation of resolution 75/233.
52. Taking advantage of existing and relevant interagency networks (UNSDG common premises task team, HLCM
procurement network, and others) UN entities could jointly develop targeted biodiversity guidance for specificmanagement functions, training and capacity building, a best practices exchange system, and a common setof reporting indicators to track progress against the objectives of this CEB common approach and the UN
system 2020-2030 strategy for environmental sustainability management.
53. Reporting on the integration of biodiversity in corporate management could be launched as part of the UN
Greening the Blue56 reporting exercise that highlights UN progress against its corporate environmental
sustainability requirements. Through the Sustainable United Nations (SUN) Facility, UN entities could develop
a common set of reporting indicators to track progress against the joint objectives of the common approachon biodiversity and 2020-2030 Sustainability Strategy.

VI.

Timeline

54. The common approach on biodiversity is aligned with the UN decades and the intended timeline of the global
biodiversity framework with launch and implementation foreseen for 2021-2030. 2021 milestones include
adoption by CEB, development of indicators, as well as the public launch of the common approach at the CBD
COP15 and other relevant international fora. A mid-point review is proposed for 2024.

55 https://uninfo.org/en/login
56 https://www.greeningtheblue.org/

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Figure 3: Proposed timeline for the common approach

VII.

Conclusion

55. The UN system has an extraordinary reach to engage national governments and stakeholders and enormous
potential to orchestrate collective action with impact for people, planet and prosperity. Through morestrategic collaboration, it can draw on the expertise of individual funds, programmes and agencies, andleverage the collective efforts of the UN system to provide further impetus to the UN COVID-19 response.
While shifting away from activities that deplete biodiversity, toward those supporting ecosystem resilienceand providing opportunities for nature positive development pathways, the UN system could also help tobring awareness of the system risks involved with nature loss and promote measures to reduce the risks offuture pandemics.
56. The common approach will enable UN system entities to align their efforts on the multitude of practicalactivities that contribute to sustainably using, restoring and safeguarding biodiversity, and which are required
to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. By doing so, it will ensure an integrated policy advice and more
coherent support to Member States in their efforts to implement the post-2020 global biodiversity frameworkand the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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Annex I
Glossary•

Biodiversity
Biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia,
terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; thisincludes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. (Convention on Biological Diversity, Art.
2)•

Circular economy
Circular economy is defined as ‘an economy closing the loop between different life cycles through design andcorporate actions/practices that enable recycling and reuse in order to use raw materials, goods and waste ina more efficient way. The circular economy concept distinguishes between technical and biological cycles, thecircular economy is a continuous, positive development cycle. It preserves and enhances natural capital,
optimises resource yields, and minimizes system risks by managing finite stocks and renewable flows, while
reducing waste streams’, – Recommendation ITU-T L.1023•

NatureNature, as defined in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES) conceptual framework, refers to the natural world, with an emphasis on biodiversity. Within thecontext of science, it includes categories such as biodiversity, ecosystems, ecosystem functioning, evolution,
the biosphere, humankind’s shared evolutionary heritage, and biocultural diversity. Within the context ofother knowledge systems, it includes categories such as Mother Earth and systems of life. Nature contributes
to societies through the provision of contributions to people.
For more information see IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of
the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Published by theUnited Nations.

•

Natural capital
Natural capital is another term for the stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources on earth (e.g.,plants, animals, air, water, soils, minerals) that combine to yield a flow of benefits or “services” to people.
These flows can be ecosystem services or abiotic services, which provide value to business and to society.
Ecosystem services are the benefits to people from ecosystems, such as timber, fiber, pollination, water
regulation, climate regulation, recreation, mental health, and others. Abiotic services are benefits to people
that do not depend on ecological processes but arise from fundamental geological processes and include thesupply of minerals, metals, and oil and gas, as well as geothermal heat, wind, tides, and the annual seasons.
Biodiversity is critical to the health and stability of natural capital as it provides resilience to shocks like floods

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and droughts, and it supports fundamental processes such as the carbon and water cycles as well as soil
formation. Therefore, biodiversity is both a part of natural capital and also underpins ecosystem services.
Source:https://capitalscoalition.org/capitals-approach/natural-capitalprotocol/?fwp_filter_tabs=training_material•

Nature-based solutions
There is no internationally agreed definition of nature-based solutions. The following definition developed by
the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions is used here: “actions to protect, sustainably manage
and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively,
simultaneously
providinghumanwell-being
andbiodiversity
benefits”.
Source:https://www.iucn.org/theme/nature-based-solutions/resources/iucn-global-standard-nbs•

One Health'One Health' is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research inwhich multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes. Many of
the same microbes infect animals and humans, as they share the ecosystems they live in. Efforts by just one
sector cannot prevent or eliminate the problem. The areas of work in which a One Health approach isparticularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonosis (diseases that can spread between animals
and humans, such as flu, rabies and Rift Valley Fever), and combatting antibiotic resistance (when bacteriachange after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat). Source:
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/one-health•

Biodiversity and Pandemics
The recent report of the Workshop on Biodiversity and Pandemics convened by IPBES, in its Executive
Summary, noted that “Pandemics have their origins in diverse microbes carried by animal reservoirs, but theiremergence is entirely driven by human activities. The underlying causes of pandemics are the same global
environmental changes that drive biodiversity loss and climate change. These include land use change,
agricultural expansion and intensification, and wildlife trade and consumption. These drivers of change bringwildlife, livestock, and people into closer contact, allowing animal microbes to move into people and lead to
infections, sometimes outbreaks, and more rarely into true pandemics that spread through road networks,
urban centres and global travel, and trade routes. The recent exponential rise in consumption and trade,
driven by demand in developed countries and emerging economies, as well as by demographic pressure, has
led to a series of emerging diseases that originate mainly in biodiverse developing countries, driven by global
consumption patterns.” Source: https://ipbes.net/pandemics

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Annex II
It is time to restore our relationship with nature
1. Biodiversity underpins our lives and well-being. It provides multiple essential benefits for all people, including
food security, clean water, prevention and cure of diseases, resilience in the face of climate change andchanging societal demands, and protection from extreme events and disasters. It ensures sustainable
livelihoods and supports 1.2 billion jobs directly and many more indirectly57, with half of the world’s global
economy being moderately to highly dependent on functioning ecosystems58. It is also intrinsically linked with
cultural diversity and our spiritual, physical and psychological well-being.
2. From a scientific standpoint, the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook59 released in September 2020,
confirmed that countries have failed to meet the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including its 20
Aichi Biodiversity Targets, suggesting the lack of progress toward sustainability. It indicated that global
ambition to address the three pillars of sustainable development is limited by siloed approaches, where thevalue of biodiversity and ecosystem services are largely unaccounted and disconnected from socio-economic
priorities60. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation jeopardize the effective enjoyment of human rights
and progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
3. We are facing a complex crisis related to biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. Biodiversity is inalarming decline around the world, with 1 million species at risk of extinction, 2 billion hectares of landdegraded, two-thirds of the ocean adversely affected by human disturbance61 and an estimated 420 million
hectares of forests lost worldwide through deforestation since 199062. Human activities associated withunsustainable patterns of consumption and production are responsible for GHG emissions, pollution andbiodiversity loss. The latest global scientific assessment identify land- and sea- use change, caused particularly
by agricultural expansion and rapid urbanization, as the key drivers of biodiversity loss, together with direct
exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species63.
4. Environmental degradation affects individuals and groups in a differentiated way64 and typically places adisproportionate burden on women and girls, with more severe impacts felt by those in marginalized andvulnerable populations or locations. Unequal exposure occurs not only between, but also within countries,
and at more granular scales such as among neighbourhoods in urban areas. Climate change and natural
disasters can exacerbate threats that force people to flee within their country or across international borders.

57 ILO 2018, World Economic and Social Outlook 2018: Greening with Jobs
58 WEF, 2020. Nature Risk Rising – Why the Crisis Engulfing Nature Matters for Business and the Economy.
59 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2020). Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, Summary for Policy-Makers.
60 Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2020). Global Biodiversity Outlook 5, Summary for Policy-Makers.
61 IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
62 FAO, 2020. Global Forest Resources Assessment
63
IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
64 See also ILO’s Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy and Gender, labour and a just transition towards
environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all

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The interplay between climate, conflict, hunger, poverty and persecution creates increasingly complex
emergencies. For example, food insecurity may become a major driver of conflicts and displacement65.
5. The realization of human rights, including the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable
environment, support for sustainable development and protection of the environment go together. Efforts to
reduce poverty, increase resilience and reduce displacement should leave no one behind, including thoselocated in semi-arid and arid lands, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Landlocked developing countries(LLDC). It is anticipated that failing to act now on long-term environmental risks will increase societal inequality
and fragmentation and bring about dramatic consequences.
6. It is not too late to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity and ecosystems. During the UN Summit on
Biodiversity in 2020, global leaders reiterated their commitments to develop an ambitious post-2020 global
biodiversity framework to be adopted at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological
Diversity in 2021. Bold leadership and urgent actions across the whole of government and society, together
with an inclusive and networked multi-governance approach. Such action can address the direct andunderlying causes of biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems, while shifting the course towards anature positive future.
7. Our economic recovery path must lead to a transformation of society’s relationship with nature. The
protection and sustainable use of biodiversity must be integrated in policies that will guide post-pandemic
economic and development recovery and building forward plans. The tools, instruments and knowledge areat hand, but will require clear and commensurate investments in nature. This means shifting investments andpractices in all sectors to reflect and account for their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity andecosystem services and prioritizing systemic transitions that work with and not against nature, and leave noone behind. An investment in the health of our planet is an essential investment in our own future.
8. The social consequences of the losses described above could be turned into opportunities to create decent
jobs that enhance ecological integrity, economic prosperity and social wellbeing. The required economictransformation must include changing societal perceptions towards valuing and conserving biodiversity
through public outreach and education, as societies cannot transform if what and how we learn remains thesame. In the world of work, through which most people continue their learning and make their contribution
to society, skills for a greener future remain a priority. This ranges from accelerating the transformation of theenergy and other extractive sectors, to creating resilience through natural resource management andecosystem restoration.
9. The coming decade provides our last chance to take the measures needed to ensure a healthy and prosperous
future for people, planet and prosperity66.

65 UNHCR, 2020. Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2019.
66 Key messages from the UN Biodiversity Summit on 30 September 2020.

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Annex III
Context of the UN common approach on biodiversity and nature-based solutions
1. In March 2020, the Secretary-General called on the UN system to mainstream and integrate biodiversity in
key areas, engage in cross-agency collaboration and enhance UN communications and advocacy67. The UN
System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) subsequently endorsed a stronger focus on natureacross the UN system and tasked its High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) to develop a common
approach to integrating biodiversity and nature-based solutions68 for sustainable development into the UN’s
policy and programme planning and delivery69.
2. The UN system supports Parties to the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), such as thebiodiversity-related conventions70 and agreements, as well as other relevant multilateral frameworks and the
UN goals and targets, which provide a critical component of international cooperation and governance. The
widespread adoption, funding and implementation of these multilateral frameworks provide a pathway toaddress global challenges, and promote fairness, human rights protection, navigating common obstacles, andcompensating for unequal burdens, responsibilities and capabilities.
3. The UN Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs, as well as the UN Decades on Ecosystem Restoration, on Family
Farming, on Action on Nutrition, on Ocean Science-, and on Action on Water for Sustainable Development,
will engage the global community to accelerate the delivery of agreed international goals and achieve progress
towards inclusive sustainable development. The UN Decades provide opportunities across the UN system forcoordinated planning, implementation and monitoring; joint advocacy; scaling up financing and innovative
sources of funding; generation and exchange of knowledge and resources; as well as inclusive multistakeholder dialogues, partnerships and networks.
4. Furthermore, in the context of the reform of the UN Development System, the General Assembly, through its
resolution 75/233 on the Quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for developmentof the United Nations system71, called upon the entities of the UN Development System (UNDS) to continue
to provide evidence-based and integrated policy advice and programmatic support to help countries in theimplementation of, follow-up to and reporting on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Emphasis
was placed on mainstreaming the SDGs into national plans, including by promoting sustained and inclusive
economic growth, social development and environmental protection, and ending poverty in all its forms anddimensions.
5. The General Assembly also called upon the entities of the UNDS to: adopt and mainstream a more climateand environment-responsive approach into their programmes and strategic plans, where appropriate, as well
67 Executive Committee decision 2020/21 of 25 March 2020
68 There is no internationally agreed definition of nature-based solutions. The definition developed by IUCN Global Standard for Nature-

based Solutions is used here.
69 CEB meeting on 14 May 2020
70 https://www.cbd.int/brc/
71 United Nations, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 21 December 2020. Quadrennial comprehensive policy review ofoperational activities for development of the United Nations system. A/RES/75/233

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as in cooperation frameworks; advance the development of a system-wide approach, implement measuresand report regularly to their respective governing bodies, through existing reporting and mandates, on theirefforts to reduce their climate and environmental footprint; ensure consistency of their operations andprogrammes with low emissions and climate-resilient development pathways; stressing the urgency of climate
action and contribute to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and; fulfil their pledges made at the2019 Climate Action Summit and follow-up on the 2020 UN Summit on Biodiversity.
6. In addition, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure full and effective
implementation of the UN System Strategic Approach on Climate Change Action as well as of the UN SystemWide framework of Strategies on the Environment, and of their future revisions, and continue working
towards the development of a common approach to integrating biodiversity and ecosystem-based
approaches for sustainable development into the UN’s policy and programme planning and delivery, with aview to its swift and effective implementation across the UN system in accordance with national development
policies, plans, priorities and needs.

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Annex IV
50+ ways to integrating biodiversity and nature-based solutions – a UN systemcommitment to collective action for people and planet
Please see CEB/2021/HLCP41/CRP.2 (Annex IV) - Annex IV: 50+ ways to integrating biodiversity and naturebased solutions – a UN system commitment to collective action for people and planet.