At COP 8 (meeting in conjunction with SBSTA 17, New Delhi, October/November 2002), Parties requested the SBSTA to enhance cooperation with the subsidiary bodies of the UNCCD and CBD, and urged the JLG to continue its efforts to enhance coordination between the three conventions and their secretariats. The COP affirmed the need to invite the secretariat of the Ramsar Convention to share information and to participate in the meetings of the JLG, as appropriate. At SBSTA 17, Parties agreed on terms of reference for a workshop on cooperation with other conventions to be organized by the UNFCCC secretariat, in cooperation with the secretariats of the UNCCD and CBD, and forwarded it to the SBI for consideration. The SBI agreed to logistically merge its workshop on a related topic (workshop specified in decision 5/CP.7, paragraph 36), but requested to keep the substantive items separate.

The two workshops on Possible synergy and joint action with the other multilateral environmental conventions and agreements, and on Enhancing cooperation with other conventions, were held from 2 - 4 July in Espoo, Finland (for the report see FCCC/SB/2003/1).

SBSTA 19, among others, encouraged Parties to make use of the Report on Interlinkages between Biological Diversity and Climate Change prepared by the Ad-hoc Technical Expert Group on Biological Diversity and Climate Change of the CBD. The Government of Italy expressed an invitation to the UNFCCC to actively participate in the preparation of a workshop organized by the UNCCD and CBD on Forests and forest ecosystems: Promoting synergy in the implementation of the three Rio Conventions, which was held from 5 - 7 April 2004 in Viterbo, Italy.

For SBSTA 20, the Report of the fifth meeting of the JLG was made available to Parties as well as the following background documentation provided by the UNCCD and CBD secretariats, respectively:  Report of the workshop on Forests and forest ecosystems: Promoting synergy in the implementation of the three Rio Conventions, organized by the UNCCD and CBD, in cooperation with UNFCCC and Decision VII/15 Biodiversity and Climate Change and Extracts from CBD decisions VII/15, VII/26, VII/30, VII/2, VII/4, VII/5, VII/27, VII/28, VII/13, VII/16 and VII/29.

In response to the invitation contained in Decision VII/15 of the CBD, SBSTA 20 concluded by recommending a draft conclusion to the COP, which was adopted by the COP at its 10th session. This conclusion requested the secretariat to provide information to the JLG on relevant activities that are mutually supportive of the objectives of the three Conventions and encouraged Parties to enhance coordination at the national level by facilitating involvement of national experts and sharing relevant information at the local and national levels.

In response to a request from the SBSTA, the secretariat made available at SBSTA 21 (December 2004), a paper on options for enhanced cooperation among the Rio Conventions (FCCC/SBSTA/2004/INF.19), which was prepared jointly by the secretariats of the CBD, UNCCD and UNFCCC.  This options paper was considered by the JLG at its sixth meeting (October 2005, Bonn).  At SBSTA 23 (November/December 2005) the secretariat provided a report on the outcome of the consideration of the options paper by the JLG, after which Parties submitted their views on this matter (see FCCC/SBSTA/2006/MISC.4 ) for consideration at SBSTA 24.  Both the options paper and the views expressed by Parties were welcomed by the SBSTA at its 24^th session.

At SBSTA 24, a written statement by the Executive Secretary of the CBD secretariat provided information on some of the outcomes of COP 8 of the CBD, including on the availability of the report of the CBD’s Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Biodiversity and Adaptation to Climate Change.  Following a request from SBSTA 23, the secretariat provided an oral report on the outcome of the 14^th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 14)  on the thematic cluster of energy for sustainable development, climate change, air pollution/atmosphere and industrial development.  For SBSTA 26, the secretariat has been requested to inform Parties on the outcome of CSD 15.  

SBSTA 26  noted with appreciation statements by representatives of the FAO, the World Bank, UNDP, the CBD, the UNCCD secretariat and UNEP on their activities and efforts to address climate change and their contributions to the work of the Convention. The SBSTA also noted with appreciation a statement by the representative of the IPCC on the status of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) and welcomed the in-depth briefing held on 12 May 2007 on the reports of the three IPCC working groups.

SBSTA 28 took note of the statements by representatives of the IPCC and the secretariat of the UNFF. The SBSTA also took note of written statements made available by the secretariat of the CBD and by the IFRC.

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